English Premier League side Aston Villa have emerged as the most likely next home for Portuguese international João Felix, according to a new report from the Daily Sport. Despite Felix maintaining his loyalty and discipline to coach Simeone within the Atletico Madrid squad, his agent and the Villa club are actively looking for the best way to get the talented striker out of Spain and onto the English scene as soon as possible.
The Premier League has once again been a popular destination for Felix this season, but uncertainty surrounding his future remains. Despite Felix's and his agent's desire to find a new home, Atlético Madrid's high financial compensation demands have been a key factor in preventing a deal from being finalized. Simeone has reservations about Felix's place in the team, but the disagreement over the transfer fee makes Felix's departure particularly difficult.
Aston Villa manager Unai Emery has shown great interest in Felix's signing and hopes that he will be an important part of the team for the new season. However, the financial negotiations between Villa FC and Atletico Madrid are not going well and there is a big gap between the two sides in terms of their expectations for the transfer fee. Villa has issued an ultimatum to Atletico Madrid, asking for a "reasonable" final offer to negotiate a deal after Atletico Madrid completed the transfer of Alvarez, rather than the previously proposed high price of 50 million euros.
Meanwhile, two clubs, Benfica and Barcelona, have also expressed interest in Felix, but their stance is very different from Villa. Benfica, while open to Felix, have made it clear that they will not proceed with a transfer deal unless the player is willing to lower his salary demands. Barcelona, on the other hand, would prefer to bring in Felix on loan and agree on a modest salary level with them, with the possibility of a direct transfer being minimal. Unless the two sides can agree on other additional operations (such as the transfer of Longley), this transfer scenario is unlikely to materialize.
Emery and Villa FC are facing a time crunch as the start of the Premier League season draws closer. Whether they can successfully bring in Felix before the transfer window closes and add significant weight to the team's journey in the new season has become the focus of fans' attention.
