Barcelona are reportedly set to revive their interest in Atletico Madrid ace Joao Felix after failing to sign him in the summer transfer window.
The Portuguese international, 22, has divided opinion at times since arriving at Atletico Madrid on a club-record €127million in the summer of 2019 from SL Benfica.
Injuries and lack of consistency have hampered his progress at the Wanda Metropolitano, with manager Diego Simeone yet to unlock the player’s true potential.
According to Catalan outlet El Nacional, Joao Felix is frustrated with life under Simeone and is ready to end his time at Atletico Madrid at the earliest possible opportunity, thereby, handing Barcelona a chance to sign him.
Barcelona were heavily linked with Felix in the past summer transfer window and tried to plot a swap deal involving Antoine Griezmann on the transfer deadline day. However, while Griezmann returned to Atletico Madrid on a loan deal with an option to buy at the end of the season, Atletico managed to keep hold of Felix in the end, the report adds.
Joao Felix to Barcelona – A good fit under Xavi?
Barcelona have endured a tough season and face a big possibility of exiting the Champions League group stages.
Xavi has an uphill task of rebuilding the squad, whilst quickly turning around the fortunes of the club. It’s a long process and he will need complete backing from the Catalan club, especially in the next few transfer windows, at least.
The Blaugrana’s struggles in the final third are highlighted by the mere fact that they have netted only 23 goals in 15 La Liga games so far this season.
The departures of Lionel Messi and Antoine Griezmann in the summer coupled with injury and fitness problems for Ansu Fati, Ousmane Dembele, Sergio Aguero and Martin Braithwaite has left them toothless upfront.
Add that to Luuk De Jong’s underwhelming displays, the onus of scoring goals has been majorly shouldered by Memphis Depay. If Xavi and co. are to improve their productivity in front of goal, they must recruit a young forward. In that regard, Joao Felix would be ideal for Barcelona.
Felix can play anywhere across the front line but operates best when deployed as a secondary striker, which makes him an even more attractive option for the Catalan club.
The 22-year-old can play off main striker Depay, adding flair, creativity, pace, movement and flexibility to Barcelona’s attack. He is quick, agile and decisive on the ball, whilst possessing the spatial awareness to hurt the opposition.
At 22, the Portuguese international is still very young and has a lot of scope to improve after regressing under Simeone this year. If Felix decides to leave Atletico Madrid in the upcoming transfer window or next summer, Barcelona must do everything possible to recruit him.