Barcelona interested in signing 22-year-old Portuguese attacker: Reports

Barcelona are interested in signing Atletico Madrid forward Joao Felix, according to Ruben Uria of Carrusel Deportivo. The Portuguese forward is one of the biggest prodigies in football but has been unable to consistently perform at a world class level at Atletico Madrid. The 22-year-old has found it very hard to get going and may now look to leave Atletico Madrid in order to kickstart his career elsewhere.

Joao Felix joined Atletico Madrid in 2019 from Benfica in a deal worth around €120 million. In this time, Felix has appeared for the club 91 times, contributing just 22 goals and 7 assists in all competitions. These stats are very underwhelming for a player like Joao Felix and it is very clear that he does not fit into Diego Simeone’s system.

The Blaugrana are currently in pursuit of one of the biggest names in world football right now, Erling Haaland. The club's first choice is Erling Haaland but signing the Borussia Dortmund star could be very difficult for the Catalan giants given their financial condition. One of the best strikers in the world will not come for cheap and Barcelona are not in the best financial position, so it would be smart to start looking at alternatives.

Barcelona target Joao Felix looks set to leave Atletico Madrid after falling out of favor

Joao Felix in action for Atletico Madrid

According to various reports, the Spanish club have tried signing Joao Felix various times in the past and he may once again be a possible alternative for the club if they fail to bring Erling Haaland to the club. The only concern for Barcelona is Joao Felix’s below par performance in La Liga.

The forward has found himself behind the likes of Antoine Griezmann, Luis Suarez, Matheus Cunha and Angel Correa this season. Falling down the pecking order has dampened Felix’s likelihood to be successful at Atletico Madrid and he is looking to leave the club.

Barcelona are now monitoring the situation and are interested in bringing Joao Felix to the club. This would be a perfect opportunity for Felix to depart the capital club.

However, signing Joao Felix will not be as easy as the Catalan giants would like it to be. Felix signed a seven-year contract with Atletico Madrid when he joined them in 2019 and Atletico Madrid will not let go of him easily.

According to various reports, Diego Simeone is happy to let the Portuguese forward leave the club but CEO Miguel Angel Gil Marin does not want to allow this and only time will tell if Joao Felix does indeed join Barcelona in the future.