Barcelona hope to sign 24-year-old forward in loan deal with €30 million buy option

The future of Joao Felix beyond the current season, when his loan deal at FC Barcelona expires, is far from clear.

The Portuguese international has burnt all bridges at Atletico Madrid and there is no way back for him at the Civitas Metropolitano.

Barcelona, for their part, are eager to keep hold of him but the financial situation means that they are not in a position to meet Atletico Madrid’s demands for him.

Loan with €30 million buy option

As such, SPORT reports that Barcelona are eager to keep Joao Felix by securing another loan agreement with Atletico Madrid, but with a purchase option worth €30 million this time around.

Joao Felix, 24, has done well in parts at Barça, but has made enough of an impression for the Catalans to want to keep him around for longer.

And the chances of that happening are growing as well, with the Catalans of the belief that the proposal of a loan deal with a €30 million purchase option should do the trick.

Atletico have been asking for €65 million for the sale of the player and insist that this is the minimum figure that should appear in the loan contract to Barça.

Joao Felix wants to continue at Barcelona. (Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images)

However, the Portuguese forward has been devalued at an alarming rate in recent years and now has a market valuation of €30 million, €70 million less than when he arrived at Atletico.

That is the value that Barça are giving him in the operation and are also insistent that the buy clause should not be mandatory.

Talks progressing

Atletico and Barcelona have already been feeling each other out, but without haste. The whole negotiation is being carried out by Joao Felix’s agent, Jorge Mendes, who has already expressed the player’s desire to continue as a Blaugrana.

The Colchoneros would have preferred to agree a definitive transfer to Barça or sell him to Saudi Arabian football, but Joao does not want to go to the Middle East and the Catalans do not want to pay a transfer fee.

Barcelona understand that the continuity of Joao Felix is a good operation in difficult economic times, for multiple reasons. Whether they are successful in their pursuit remains to be seen.