Aston Villa target Atletico forward rejected by Chelsea

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By Martin Graham | 3rd Jun 2023

Reports making the rounds indicate that Aston Villa are looking to sign João Felix from Atlético de Madrid after his loan spell came to an end at Chelsea.

The 23-year-old became the world’s most expensive teenager when he moved from Benfica to Atlético in 2019 after a host of big clubs from Europe tried and failed to sign him. While he has lifted the LaLiga trophy in that time, the move has not worked out for the young Portugal international.

There are off-field issues between himself and Diego Simeone, the club’s manager, as well as on-field issues because he does not fit into the style that the Argentine manager likes to play. This has led to several attempts to force an exit which his price tag has stalled.

Chelsea would take him on loan for the second half of the 2022/23 season with reports indicating that both clubs planned to discuss a permanent transfer in the summer. Following the sack of Graham Potter and the appointment of Mauricio Pochettino ahead of the new season, Felix’s spell at Chelsea has officially come to an end. Pochettino, who is expecting Christopher Nkunku in the summer, would rather work with the Frenchman who plays a similar role to Felix in a team.

The cost of signing and keeping Felix is also something the club considered as they looked at the players they need to let go of to trim their squad. Felix, now in limbo about his future, is now a target of Unai Emery’s at Aston Villa. The four-time UEFA Europa League-winning manager is looking to build a squad that he can compete with in the UEFA European Conference League next season.

Villa finished in seventh place in the just concluded 2022/23 season giving them a straight pass to the Conference League next season, their first appearance in Europe in more than a decade. Emery has outlined a number of transfer targets for the club to go after as he seeks to strengthen the squad. Harvey Barnes of Leicester City is one of the names being mentioned, as is Real Madrid’s Marco Asensio.

Felix is the latest name on the list, according to Mundo Depotivo.

Manchester United and Newcastle United are also said to be interested in Felix. This will be an uphill battle if these links are true as both clubs possess significant financial power to pull off the deal. They are also in the UEFA Champions League, which will hold more value for Felix than the third-tier Conference League.

Emery, meanwhile, has stated that the Conference League is the first step for the club to return to the top of European football. This could be a project that could entice Felix as an interesting summer transfer window approaches.