Atletico reveals the asking price for Barca loan star

The last few days have seen various interesting things happening at the Catalan club. From announcing Thiago as part of Hansi Flick's staff, making significant progress in the Nico Williams deal, and being in the race for Euro Top Scorer Dani Olmo, FC Barcelona's recent activity has been impressive for their upcoming campaign. However, a recent update regarding the Barca loan star has arrived that might hamper the club's spirit.

Loaned from Atletico, Joao Felix joined the Barca camp in September 2023 for the 2023–24 campaign. Felix's performance as a center forward was quite impressive, as he was involved in 16 goal contributions for the Catalan club in 44 appearances. After his successful loan season, Barca had made up their minds to ensure the player's services for another season or two.

Atletico reveal the asking price for Joao Felix

However, it was clear that Atletico wouldn't consider another loan due to Felix's tussle with Atleti boss Diego Simeone, making a permanent signing the only option for him. Now, since Barca has been on the lookout for Basque winger Nico Williams, chances were extremely thin that Felix would be seen in the Catalan camp for the next season.

Anyway, Felix was eager to return to Barca, and the club had asked for patience from the forward to process how Nico's deal worked out. Currently, Barca stands in a much better position to accommodate Nico Williams compared to that time, and thus the slim chances of Felix's possible return have further diminished.

On top of that, Atletico Madrid has put the final nail in the coffin, as according to reports, the Los Rojiblancos have asked for a fee of nothing less than €60 million for the Portuguese forward. Though Barca has made a significant recovery in their financial situation, they would not be able to offer such a massive fee for Joao Felix.

Analyzing Barca's current situation in the transfer market, their priorities are clear: they want to include Nico Williams as part of their next season roster, which would require the club to deploy his release clause worth €58 million. Moreover, according to Barca's ongoing interest in Eurostar Dani Olmo, the chances of them spending Atleti's asked fee are almost negligible.

Thus, even if Joao Felix's dream is to return to FC Barcelona, it doesn't appear to be going in the right direction. Though there is still a month and more left in the transfer window, it would require something magical for the Culers to view Joao Felix in the Barcelona camp the next season.