There have been a plethora of attacking department transfers between Barcelona and Atletico Madrid in the past few years.
Memphis Depay also left Barcelona to play for Diego Simeone, while Antoine Griezmann went to Catalonia before trying to get back to the Spanish capital.
Joao Felix, who has been rumored to be Griezmann’s successor, is involved in the most recent transfer involving the two Spanish giants. The player’s future is still up in the air, but he is presently on loan with Xavi’s team.
Gathering of two factions
Enrique Cerezo, president of the Colchoneros, had lunch with Joan Laporta, president of Barcelona, in Madrid before their match against Atletico Madrid at Civitas Metropolitano later today.
The two sides had a casual meeting and talked about a lot of things, but Mundo Deportivo claims that the future of Felix was the most significant.
It is reasonable to assume that the Portuguese superstar has not performed well to merit a permanent transfer from his present one-season loan to Catalonia. As of right now, Barcelona isn’t ready to give up on him.
But they won’t go beyond financially.
Laporta notified the Atletico administrator of Barcelona’s willingness to sign the player on a loan deal next summer and conveyed the club’s attitude to Cerezo.
But he was adamant that Los Rojiblancos would have to agree to a buy option of €20 million—the same amount they paid to get Antoine Griezmann back—for the deal to go through.
A momentous evening for Felix
The highlight match of the La Liga weekend will be this afternoon’s encounter between Barcelona and Diego Simeone’s squad.
Xavi is reportedly planning to start Felix against his previous team Civitas Metropolitano in an effort to take advantage of the phenom’s resolve to show his stuff.
Atleti Madrid still has a lot of say over Felix’s future because his contract doesn’t expire until 2029. But if he puts on a good performance tonight, it might help his owners see his value in the long run.