Will Joao Felix stay at Barcelona? Atletico Madrid chief Enrique Cerezo offers transfer update on loanee

The Portuguese international actively pursued a transfer to the Blaugrana, waiting until the final day to complete his ideal move and even consenting to a large pay cut in order to facilitate the deal. Felix made an immediate impression upon arriving, getting off to a great start in his Barca career by both scoring and setting up goals, and soon solidifying his place in the starting lineup. According to recent reports, the Catalan side hopes to recruit the Portuguese on a permanent basis in the summer of 2024.

Whether or not Atleti are ready to sell Felix to their rivals, a permanent agreement will be difficult to achieve because Barcelona will reportedly to spend at least €105 million (£92m/$113m) in order to sign Joao Felix and Joao Cancelo in the upcoming summer.

"Joao Felix will be one of the best players in Europe, I wish him all the best at Barca," said Cerezo to COPE Partidazo. "He’s on loan there but if Barca wants to sign Joao on a permanent deal, they’ll have the option to make it happen for sure. Otherwise, he will return."

Felix has been called up to the Portugal national team for their European Championship qualifiers against Liechtenstein and Iceland. He will then rejoin his club for their clash against Rayo Vallecano on November 25.