Atletico let Joao Felix go to Barca

Atletico and Barca are negotiating the details of the transfer. According to AS newspaper on July 19, the deal may include a clause allowing Barca to buy Felix outright.

In a recent interview, Felix openly admitted "likes to play for Barca". He always considers the Camp Nou team as the first choice, because it is a "dream" since childhood. This statement was met with a negative reaction from Atletico fans and made the team want to sell him more.

In 2019, Felix joined Atletico from Benfica for $140 million. The 23-year-old striker is currently the fourth most expensive player in football history, after Neymar, Kylian Mbappe and Philippe Coutinho. But Felix did not achieve success at the Metropolitano. In 131 games for Atletico, he scored only 34 goals.

In December 2022, Barca came close to borrowing Felix. However, Atletico then loaned it to Chelsea. In 20 games for the English team, Felix only scored four goals. The contract between him and Atletico is valid until June 2027.

Barca is still struggling with financial difficulties. This summer, the champion of La Liga 2022-2023 has only recruited two players over 32 years old, midfielder Ilkay Gundogan and midfielder Inigo Martinez on a free transfer. Barca lost to Real Madrid in the race for Arda Guler, an 18-year-old Turkish midfielder who joined the Bernabeu for $ 22 million.

Last season, Barca won La Liga with 88 points. Real Madrid ranked second with 78 points, while Atletico ranked third with 77 points. Barca also beat Real Madrid 3-1 in the final of the 2022-2023 Spanish Super Cup.

This summer, Atletico spent $ 5.5 million to buy Javi Galan from Celta Vigo. They signed Caglar Soyuncu from Leicester City and Cesar Azpilicueta from Chelsea on free transfers. In the opposite direction, Atletico sold Geoffrey Kondogbia and Renan Lodi to Marseille for a total of 26.5 million.