Back in July, we relayed news from Spain that Aston Villa were the only serious contender from the Premier League for João Félix. It was also stated the forward didn’t favour a move to Villa Park as he had his heart set on joining Barcelona.
On deadline day, the 23-year-old got his wish fulfilled when Atlético Madrid allowed him to join the Camp Nou side on a loan deal.
Former Atlético star Paulo Futre has now told Cadena Ser’s El Larguero that Aston Villa were the only English club to have shown keen interest in signing Félix in the last window.
Futre, who had two spells at the Madrid club during his playing career, was unhappy after the Portugal international publicly stated in July that he would love to join Barcelona.
The 57-year-old has maintained close ties with Felix’s agent Jorge Mendes and even got in touch with the representative after the player expressed his admiration for Barca. This is when the super-agent seems to have made Futre aware of Aston Villa’s serious attempt for Felix.
“When João said he dreamed of playing for Barça I began to live a nightmare that lasts to this day. I called him [Mendes] and told him that the statements that João had made were his doing and he said no,” he said.
“We argued on the phone and he told me that he had spoken to Manchester United. I verified what he told me because I have friends and it was true. Later he had spoken with Manchester City, I also checked and they didn’t want João either.
“What happened between João and Cholo [Diego Simeone] happens every day in football. It’s something normal. What is not normal is that phenomenal coaches knew that João was a genius (…) he entered their game system, but nobody wanted him.
“Neither Arteta, nor Guardiola, nor Klopp, any club… My question is why? The only team that has wanted him has been Aston Villa. João said no when there was an agreement between Atleti and Aston Villa at the beginning of July.”
Of course, Futre is looking at this from an Atletico perspective and appears to be trying to talk Felix’s level down after his good start with Barcelona.
There’s always the chance that other clubs were keen, but that Felix and Mendes made them aware the player was holding out for the Catalan side.
