Aston Villa are reportedly still keen on Joao Felix, and will seemingly continue to explore the possibility of signing him from Atletico Madrid this summer.
While speculation linked us with a move for the 23-year-old in January, Felix ultimately opted to join Chelsea on loan for the second half of last season but has since returned to Atleti.
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With four goals in 16 Premier League appearances amid Chelsea’s struggles last year, he made a relatively positive impression during his loan stint in England, and it’s now suggested that he is still on our transfer radar.
According to Marca’s David Medina, Felix is said to have just one offer on the table currently, and that is from Villa as everything is seemingly pointing towards a departure from Atleti again this summer. However, the same problem could persist as it’s suggested that he would ideally want to play Champions League football next season.
In turn, time will tell if that will continue to be a stumbling block despite seemingly strong links regarding our interest, and if he opts for another solution if it presents itself in the coming weeks.
Meanwhile, Portuguese reporter Bruno Andrade has echoed the point on Villa’s interest in Felix, and that a loan, for a fee, and an option to buy included in the agreement ‘is not that unlikely’.
With that in mind, it remains to be seen if there is a genuine possibility of this being a deal that can be done by Villa this summer, as given his quality and potential, it would be some signing to strengthen our creative and attacking options in the final third.
It’s certainly an area that will perhaps be looked at next having now confirmed the signings of Youri Tielemans and Pau Torres to bolster our midfield and defence respectively, and Felix would be a top-level addition and statement signing if a deal is agreed.
Emiliano Buendia will undoubtedly continue to play a key role in that creative position in Emery’s preferred system and set-up, while it’s unclear what happens with Philippe Coutinho this summer and others have arguably been too inconsistent.
In turn, the Portuguese international could be an important addition as part of our ambitious plans, but whether or not agreements can be reached to seal the move is still unclear at this stage.