For the second successive summer, it looks like Joao Felix’s future will not be decided until the final weeks of the transfer window. The Portuguese has returned to Atletico Madrid, and while he has impressed during pre-season training, he’s not expected to remain in Diego Simeone’s squad for the 2024-25 campaign.
Aston Villa and Benfica are pushing the hardest to sign Felix. The former are currently biding their time, and this has made them slight favourites to win the race – especially as Benfica cannot match Atleti’s demands.
However, Sport have now reported that Felix is giving preference to a Barcelona return. He’s prepared to wait until the Catalans make their move, which is likely given that both Hansi Flick and Deco would value the 24-year-old return.
João Félix has decided to wait for Barcelona despite serious interest from Aston Villa. The Portuguese is convinced that time plays in his favour. At Barça they consider that João can be an important player and that he's a market opportunity. The club would sign him if other…
— barcacentre (@barcacentre) August 3, 2024
As things stand, Barcelona would only look to re-sign Felix if their other targets were to go begging. They’re currently pursuing Nico Williams and Dani Olmo, although neither deal looks straightforward at this stage.
