Joao Felix wants back in European football, and he wants Barcelona. A new obstacle now stands in the way of the Portuguese star.
According to the newspaper "Sport", Felix is eager to come back to Europe once his spell with Saudi side Al-Nassr ends, with his heart set on a Barcelona return. He spent the 2023-2024 season on loan at the club.
There's a catch. 365Scores confirmed the deal Felix signed with Al-Nassr contains a clause that lets the Saudi club extend his contract unilaterally.
Al-Nassr can trigger that extension without a fresh signature from the player, 365Scores report, as long as the conditions laid out in his existing contract are met.
Those conditions cover the length of the extension, the financial compensation and the deadline for activating it. In other words, the Saudi club hold the tool to keep the forward beyond the summer of 2027.
Al-Nassr's board plan to meet Jorge Mendes soon to thrash out the player's future, according to 365Scores.
Sport, meanwhile, noted: "It is believed that Jorge Mendes has informed the Catalan club of the desire of his client Joao Felix to return to the Camp Nou as a free player."
Barcelona know all about Felix's wishes. His return simply isn't a priority right now. The Portuguese starts most of his games from the left and drifts inside, but he would rank behind Gordon and Karim Adeyemi, whose profiles fit what Flick wants in that role far more closely.