Atletico Madrid and Barcelona looked as if they were ‘condemned to find an understanding’ once again this summer for Joao Felix, with another loan move on the cards, and publicly desired by Felix and Barcelona. Yet the emergence of interest from Benfica seemed to offer Atletico a chance to move him on permanently.

Despite saying goodbye to the fans at the Metropolitano, Stefan Savić will be part of Atlético Madrid’s pre-season as long as he doesn’t find a destination.@marca pic.twitter.com/u7IUwRPpVe

— Atletico Universe (@atletiuniverse) July 8, 2024

It will not be so simple though. According to A Bola in Portugal, as quoted by Diario AS, Felix is not currently considering a return to his first senior club. The 24-year-old sees it as a step back, and will instead listen to offers from ‘bigger leagues’.

There’s a meeting scheduled between Flick and Deco today to finalize planning for the upcoming season. @jbatalla7

— barcacentre (@barcacentre) July 8, 2024

Aston Villa have also been credited with interest in Felix, but that has not been confirmed by more than one source. Atleti will clearly require a chance to make most of the money they still have to pay for Felix back on the mercurial forward, but perhaps the more difficult part will be to convince him to take a different option that isn’t Barcelona, with a loan return to the club likely to be on the table.

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