João Félix is widely known to be available for transfer by Atletico Madrid this winter. The Spanish team understood to have decided a move for the Portuguese forward is best for all parties, following a complicated three-and-a-half years at the Wanda Metropolitano stadium.
However, having initially placed a €100m price tag on Félix, Atletico are now believed to be willing to accept a short-term loan for the rest of the season. A six-month deal would be costly, but could attract clubs, especially from England, to take a chance on the 23-year-old for the remainder of the campaign.
Félix has endured a typically mixed season so far with Atleti. Named the Rojiblancos’ Player of the Year in May, much was expected of Atleti’s record signing in his fourth term. Injury issues have become a familiar barrier to consistency, but a increasingly strained relationship with manager Diego Simeone has seen recent struggles take on a more critical tone.
Félix made headlines in October when he disengaged from action on the field, having been introduced as a substitute, as Atletico missed a crucial late penalty in the Champions League against Bayer Leverkusen. The Portuguese watched the missed kick from the by-line, making himself unavailable for the ensuing scramble in the penalty box after the penalty was saved.
If ever a video demonstrated how broken João Félix and Atletico Madrid are now
— Sean Gillen (@SeanGillen9) October 27, 2022
pic.twitter.com/QN8m4NyUJ8
A week later, Simeone appeared to take a shot at his starlet during an interview with DirectTV. "I have young players who have played a bit and think they are Maradona,” Simeone said. “When I don't play them, there's total frustration and when they enter, that frustration stays in their brains and prevents them from showing their best version."
Atletico paid Benfica €126m for Félix in the summer of 2019, shattering the club’s record outlay of €70m for Thomas Lemar the previous year. As such, when deciding to put Félix on the market this winter, a price tag of around €100m was set, amid interest from Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal.
Now, according to British journalist Duncan Castles, Atleti are prepared to sanction an expensive loan deal next month, without an obligation to buy. Castles, who is close to Felix’s agent Jorge Mendes and broke the story of Ronaldo’s unhappiness at Manchester United in July, says Atletico would want an €8m loan fee and full coverage of around €280,000 per week.
Félix has been back in training with Atletico for a week following Portugal’s World Cup campaign. The question of when and where he next takes to the football field will be the subject of growing speculation.
By Sean Gillen
