Atletico Madrid Hope to Sell Joao Felix for €60 Million as Soon as Possible, Unwilling to Extend Loan Spell

According to Spanish newspaper Marca, Atletico Madrid have informed Joao Felix and his agent, Jorge Mendes, that they hope he can act quickly to finalize a transfer of Felix for €60 million, as the club is unwilling to let the player leave on loan again.

The time for Felix to patiently wait for a possible transfer is running out. The Portuguese international began a three-week vacation after being eliminated from the European Championship – following the loss to France in a penalty shootout on July 5 (European time). After the vacation ends on the 26th, he will return to Atletico Madrid’s summer training camp. However, neither the club nor the player wishes for Felix to return to Atletico, and their intentions are very clear. Therefore, Los Colchoneros hope to see progress in Felix’s transfer this week.

Atletico has already communicated this to Mendes, but it appears that the agent’s task is not easy. Finding a club interested in Felix is challenging, and the €60 million transfer fee demanded by Atletico is an obstacle. Currently, Benfica is most interested in Felix’s return, but the Portuguese team struggles to afford such a price.

In the summer of 2019, Atletico paid a hefty transfer fee of €127 million to sign Felix, and his contract with the club runs until 2029. The club hopes to recoup some of its investment. Moreover, this time around, Atletico will not accept a loan deal. This is not only because the club does not want its most expensive signing in history to end in complete failure but also because the funds from a sale could help finance moves for players like Hanka, Merino, Dovbyk, or “The Spider” Alvarez.

Over the past two seasons, Felix was loaned out to Chelsea and Barcelona successively. During his time at Chelsea, he scored four goals in 16 Premier League appearances, which was underwhelming. Last season at Barcelona, he scored ten goals and provided six assists in 44 games across all competitions, but he did not gain the trust of new Barcelona coach Flick. Marca notes that if Felix cannot find a new destination within a week and is ordered to participate in Atletico’s training, it would make many people feel “very uncomfortable.”