Xavi does not see €50 million-rated Barcelona target as a priority this summer – report

There has been a lot of noise in the Barcelona channels lately, regarding Joao Felix. The Atletico Madrid forward has emerged as a target for the Catalan club, as they look to reinforce their attacking options ahead of the new season.

Recent reports suggest Felix could be available for sale this summer, although a one-year loan spell for the forward could end up costing around €25 million.

Nevertheless, signing Joao Felix is not a priority for Barcelona coach Xavi Hernandez right now, reports Mundo Deportivo.

The Spanish news publication suggests that the Barcelona coach prefers reinforcing other areas of the pitch. Barça have reportedly made the signing of a new right-back and another midfielder a priority at this point.

However, the club president Joan Laporta remains a huge admirer of Joao Felix. This, coupled with his excellent relationship with Felix’s agent, Jorge Mendes, is tempting him to make a move for the wantaway Atletico Madrid superstar this summer.

But once again, Barça are not in a position to fund Felix’s move to Camp Nou. Even engineering a loan deal could prove to be tricky for the Blaugrana.

The Spanish champions can possibly reach an agreement with Atletico Madrid by adding players in a potential swap deal. This would likely involve Franck Kessie and Ferran Torres moving the other way.

But as of now, everything suggests Felix, whose market value stands at €50 million currently, will not come to Camp Nou.

Barcelona, therefore, could be better advised to look for other options in the market. They are already looking at a few targets right now, including Pablo Maffeo. The RCD Mallorca right-back could be available for just €10 million this summer.

Barça, though, would prefer signing players with a higher pedigree. But for that, the club must engineer exits of their unwanted stars including the likes of Torres, Sergino Dest, and Clement Lenglet, before they can make moves for newer players in the market.

*Player’s current market value from Transfermarkt