Aston Villa emerge as shock contenders to sign Joao Felix as dream of permanent Barcelona transfer is dashed

The Portuguese forward, who spent the last one-and-a-half seasons on loan at Chelsea and Barcelona, could return to the Premier League this summer as Aston Villa have emerged as shock contenders to sign the player, according to The Guardian.

Felix's future, at the moment, remains uncertain after his loan spell at Barcelona came to an end after the 2023-24 campaign. Despite the forward's desire to stay at Camp Nou, Barcelona's priorities appear to have shifted towards other targets, namely Nico Williams and Dani Olmo. Also, Marca reported earlier this year that the Catalan Giants will not be able to complete a permanent transfer of the attacker due to their financial constraints.

The Villans are looking to bolster their squad ahead of the upcoming season as they prepare to participate in the Champions League this year. They have recently received a huge financial boost after sanctioning the sale of Moussa Diaby to Saudi Pro League side Al-Ittihad for a whopping transfer fee of €60m (£50.5m).

Unai Emery's side are currently in the US for pre-season and will face MLS side Columbus Crew in a friendly match on Sunday. The club have been busy in the transfer window and have announced the signing of Amadou Onana in a £50m deal from Everton.