Manchester City feel there may be an opportunity to sign Atletico Madrid’s £113 million forward Joao Felix in the summer transfer window, as reported by EuroSport.
It’s difficult to work out how we should feel about Felix’s time at the Wanda Metropolitano.
Two years after becoming the fourth-most expensive footballer in history – at the age of 19 and with a single season of first-team football under his belt at Benfica – the man who inherited Antoine Griezmann’s number seven shirt has flitted from exceptional to anonymous.
After an underwhelming debut season at Atletico, Felix was all but unplayable in the first half of 2020/21, dovetailing beautifully with Luis Suarez as Diego Simeone’s side cruised to the top of La Liga.
But, following a bout of coronavirus, Felix hasn’t been the same player since the turn of the year.
And, amid concerns over his attitude and work rate, the ever-demanding Simeone could hardly have made his feelings clearer when discussing where his record signing needs to improve.
“Without desire, talent is not enough,” Simeone told AS.
Fears remain that Felix, an enigmatic, ethereal, somewhat languid talent, is ill at ease with Simeone’s hard-running, ‘knife between the teeth’ approach.
It’s not hard to imagine one of Europe’s most technically gifted footballers thriving under Pep Guardiola – Simeone’s antithesis – at the Etihad, however.
And, two years after missing out on Felix, EuroSport claims there’s a belief in the Man City camp that Atletico may be open to discussing a deal. City apparently tested the water, via ‘third-party agents’, in 2020.
“Can he repeat my successes in Spain? I believe that a lot, because he is an excellent player with a lot of potential who can evolve,” said the one and only Cristiano Ronaldo, Felix’s Portugal teammate, comparing him to a certain Man City star.
“You can see the same with Bernardo (Silva), although he is already much more mature in this regard.”
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