Bad news for Barça, the reason why Joao Felix might want to return to Atlético Madrid

The signing of Joao Felix was one of the great decisions of Barcelona this summer. He arrived on the last day of the transfer window, on a one-year loan from Atlético Madrid. And since then he has had excellent performances: he has scored 3 goals and provided 2 assists in 8 games. In addition, he has recovered his best level, something he had not been able to do in his last seasons at Atlético Madrid and Chelsea.

From this, speculations about forward's future began. After June 30, 2024, his loan at the Catalan side will end and he will have to return to Madrid. But the intention of the Barcelona chiefs is to negotiate with Los Colchoneros so that Joao can stay longer. The problem is money.

Los Blaugranas have been facing serious financial difficulties for years and for now they cannot pay for Joao Felix what Atlético Madrid are asking for: $80 million. That is why they will try to negotiate a new loan with an option to buy for 2025, or exchange for other players.

But perhaps the Madrid team has other plans. The reason Joao left the club is the bad relationship he has with Diego Simeone. As long as the Argentine coach is there, there is no place for Felix. However, according to Sport newspaper, Simeone is considering leaving Atletico Madrid for Saudi Arabia, where he could earn a much higher salary. In that case, Los Colchoneros would probably want the forward back.

What will happen to him?

Diego Simeone has been the coach of Atletico Madrid since 2011. In these 12 years he has won 8 titles (including twice La Liga) and has been a Champions League finalist twice. Although reports indicate that he intends to renew his contract there, it seems that he is analyzing leaving in 2025 to accept the multi-million dollar proposals from Saudi Arabia.