Rarely, if ever, can a player have so blatantly and so publicly disrespected their current employer, but that’s exactly what Joao Felix has achieved after doing an interview where he announced it was his dream to play for Barcelona.
The Atletico Madrid man isn’t likely alone in his desire to play for the blaugranes, however, there are the proper channels within which to progress any move away.
It isn’t clear why Joao Felix decided to speak to Fabrizio Romano in such specific terms, and it’s safe to say that his Rojiblanco career is absolutely over now.
? EXCLUSIVE — João Félix statement on his future: “I’d love to play for Barça”.
? “Barcelona has always been my first choice and I’d love to join Barça”.
? “It was always my dream since I was a kid”.
? “If it happens, it will be a dream come true for me”. pic.twitter.com/3zg9BiCDgO
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) July 18, 2023
According to AS, Atleti have granted the player permission to move to the Catalan outfit, and one can only assume that they can’t wait to get rid of him now.
At 23, he has an awful lot of his career ahead of him, though Barca need to be careful.
A player of such evident talent and costing over €100m from Benfica being firstly farmed off to Chelsea and then gleefully handed on a plate to a La Liga rival suggests there’s more to the Portuguese’s relationship with Atleti than meets the eye.
Any deal with Barca is believed to be a loan with an option to buy, and that should satisfy La Liga’s requirements for the Catalans to stay within their rigid Financial Fair Play rules.