Atletico Madrid reveal price for Chelsea loanee Joao Felix
According to a new report, Atletico Madrid wants £124 million to allow Joao Felix to leave permanently during the summer transfer window.
The Portuguese attacker is currently on loan at Chelsea, but crucially, the Premier League club has no option to purchase him upon the loan’s conclusion.
Now, Mundo Deportivo reports that Atletico have Felix, their record-breaking purchase, valued at £124 million, or he will remain in the Spanish capital.
Felix and Atletico manager Diego Simeone’s relationship has deteriorated over the past year, and according to the MD report, Felix has no intention of remaining with Atletico if Simeone remains in charge.
Atletico, who are currently fourth in LaLiga, 18 points behind leaders Barcelona, are rumored to be planning for next season, but a great deal depends on whether Felix stays or leaves.
Felix scored four goals and dished out three assists in 14 LaLiga appearances during Atletico’s inconsistent start to the current season.
Issues with Simeone necessitated a January loan, especially after Felix’s World Cup performance in Qatar for Portugal.
In December, Atletico’s chief executive Miguel Angel Gil admitted the same thing.
Gil was very matter-of-fact when he told Spanish television network TVE on his way to Dubai for La Liga’s General Assembly. “He [Felix] is the biggest investment the club has ever made and I think he is at the highest level in the world in terms of talent but for reasons that are not worth going into now – the relationship with the coach, the number of minutes he is playing, his motivation – the reasonable thing is that if there is an offer that is good for the player and the club, that we at least analyse it. I would love him to continue, but that is not the player’s idea.”
Prior to joining Chelsea on loan, it was confirmed that Felix had extended his Atletico Madrid contract by one year, extending it to June 2027.
Felix joined Atletico Madrid for £114 million in 2019, and according to reports, the Spanish club is eager to make a profit in order to bolster their roster in the summer.
Felix may harbor a vain hope that Simeone will be fired upon his return from Chelsea, despite the manager’s apparent immovability despite the club’s struggles this season.
In his first season, there was an incident in a road game against Granada in which Diego Simeone instructed Felix to play through the middle with Alvaro Morata.
He then substituted Dario Poveda for Joao and instructed him to move to the wing.
Simeone spent several minutes yelling at him from the sideline to change positions while the player turned his back on the technical area and remained deaf to the instructions.
Felix’s start at Chelsea has not been ideal, as he was dismissed after 57 minutes of his debut against Fulham.
This reckless challenge dismissal has relegated him to the stands for the victories over Crystal Palace and Liverpool and draws against Fulham.
Atletico Madrid reveal price for Chelsea loanee Joao Felix
