‘In terms of money…’ – Atletico president suggests negotiations with Barcelona for star forward

Atletico Madrid prescient Enrique Cerezo has confirmed that Joao Felix wants to stay at Barcelona and even the Blaugrana want to go ahead with his acquisition.

It’s no secret that Barcelona are working on Felix’s acquisition for another season, with the Blaugrana aiming to strike a loan deal for one more season. 

Amidst all this, recent indications point that the Portuguese, on loan from Atletico Madrid, has a high chance of staying as the team from the Spanish capital does not have him in their plans.

At this moment, the teams are said to be in negotiation and Cerezo has confirmed that the player, thriving under Xavi, wants to continue in Catalonia.

“Joao is thriving at Barcelona and it’s normal for him to want to stay there,” said the Atletico president as quoted by Mundo Deportivo. 

“Barcelona wants him and he’s happy there, so it’s a great fit. Barcelona is lucky to have such a talented player like Joao,” 

“He’s a magnificent, great player. He’s fit in well. I don’t know how much Atléti would get at this stage in terms of amount of money,” he added.

Will Felix join Barcelona?

Barcelona want Joao Felix to continue. (Photo by PAU BARRENA/AFP via Getty Images)

Barcelona, alongside Jorge Mendes, are working in close collaboration to determine the future of Felix.

Interestingly, it must be remembered that it was Mendes who played a significant role in persuading Barcelona to initially sign the Portuguese, despite resistance from Xavi. 

As far as Atletico Madrid are concerned, they are more than eager to offload the forward at the earliest opportunity. 

Their manager, Diego Simeone has had disagreements with the Portuguese international in the past and has already urged the board to part ways with the player in the upcoming summer transfer window.

For what it is worth, though, Atletico prefer a permanent transfer to alleviate the club’s wage bill which is why Barcelona might face a considerable challenge in convincing Atleti to extend Felix’s loan spell. 

As of today, Atletico might insist on a mandatory option to purchase the attacker at the end of the following season and this is something Barcelona may not favour.