At present, Joao Felix is in a kind of football limbo.
Not wanted by his parent club, Atletico Madrid, his desire to play at Barcelona again is being stalled by the Catalan giants effectively having no money.
Over the past few years Barca have struggled to stay on the right side of Financial Fair Play but have just about managed to do so.
Bringing through academy products from La Masia has been a necessity rather than a luxury, though it has seemingly worked to their advantage.
Still far from the finished article, Barca are, nevertheless, on the way back.
In order to get back to the very top of domestic and European football of course, big names still need to be signed, and despite blowing hot and cold, Joao Felix is still one of Europe’s best.
The issue, according to Fabrizio Romano, is agreeing on something with Atleti.
“Nothing has changed with regard to Joao Felix,” he said to CaughtOffside for his exclusive Daily Briefing.
“Barcelona are still keen on bringing him back, but they need to agree on a deal with Atletico Madrid and that’s not easy or guaranteed yet.
“Patience is needed, exactly the same as last year, and from the player’s point of view, Joao Felix is currently waiting again for Barcelona.”
If, in the end, the Blaugranes are unable to afford to re-sign the Portuguese, his options would appear to be limited, given that only Saudi Pro League clubs seem to have shown any interest in his services.
That could be because of a projected sale price, or that the player isn’t as consistent as his transfer fee might suggest.
With a couple of months left of the transfer window there’s no need for Felix or Barcelona to panic just yet though.
The post Exclusive: Joao Felix wants Barcelona return but issue remains says Romano appeared first on CaughtOffside.
