Exclusive: Fabrizio Romano provides update on ambitious Aston Villa transfer target

Aston Villa remain interested in a potential transfer move for Atletico Madrid misfit Joao Felix this summer as his future remains somewhat up in the air.

According to Fabrizio Romano, speaking exclusively to CaughtOffside for his latest Daily Briefing, Romano explained that Villa manager Unai Emery is a big fan of Felix, though the Portugal international’s future is still not close to be resolved.

Felix has had a difficult few years, having first fallen out of favour with Atletico before then going out on loan to Chelsea and Barcelona, with neither loan spell going particularly well.

Chelsea chose not to keep Felix, while Barca have also so far not brought him back, so that could mean there’s an opportunity for Villa, even if it seems like an ambitious deal to get done.

Villa look like a team going places under Emery, and a big name like Felix would be another strong addition if they can pull it off, though it seems this is not imminent right now.

Felix transfer: Romano’s update on ambitious Villa target

“Joao Felix’s future remains undecided and there were some reports that he could be part of the Julian Alvarez deal, though my understanding was that Manchester City were always likely to sell Alvarez without any other player being involved. Felix was never a target for Man City, they have different ideas – they respect him as a player of course, but they have different plans for this window,” Romano said.

“With Felix, keep an eye on Aston Villa because the appreciation from Villa Park is still there – Unai Emery really loves Felix as a player. It’s still not decided where Felix will go next, it’s not being decided now, but I wanted to clarify that he was not part of the Alvarez negotiations.

“So, the Felix story is not closed yet, and at the moment Atletico are obviously busy with other deals, so we’ll see again in the next few days if the Felix situation will be discussed and what it could mean for his future. Villa are still there, but it’s not time for a breakthrough in this deal just yet.”