Barcelona had a €70m agreement to sign Atletico Madrid star in January 2022 – report

Despite being sent off in his first appearance for Chelsea on loan from Atletico Madrid, Joao Felix has been going strong in London. The English side signed him in January and are already considering making his move permanent, testament to the innate quality in the Portuguese international.

According to reports from SPORT, Felix came very close to being a Barcelona player in January last year. The Catalans had reached an agreement Atletico Madrid over the forward’s transfer and the deal was close to the final stages.

It is reported that the fee discussed was around €70 million. However, it could have risen up to €130 million with variables. In the end, the deal fell apart because of Barcelona’s Financial Fair Play troubles, forcing Felix to stay in Madrid.

Felix is one of the world’s best young talents in the forward department and even played a key role for the Portuguese national team in the FIFA World Cup in Qatar. Moreover, at just 23 years of age, he has his entire career ahead of him.

Barcelona have held a long-standing interest in Felix and had made previous attempts to sign him as part of the Antoine Griezmann loan deal back in the summer of 2021. And they were apparently close to getting their hands on the ex-Benfica starlet last year.

Yet, Barcelona might have dodged a bullet by missing out on his transfer last season. The Catalan setup has rarely been a happy hunting ground for second strikers, a position that Felix considers his niche. Further, he would not have much to offer in Xavi Hernandez’s width-based setup.

The youngster made fourteen league appearances for Los Rojiblancos this season before his move to England in January, scoring four goals and providing three assists in the process. At Chelsea, he has scored one goal in two Premier League games so far.

It remains to be seen if Felix’s future lies in Spain or England after this season is over, with Barça understood to keeping an eye on his situation. From the player’s standpoint, however, a move away from Diego Simeone’s setup may appear tempting.