Barcelona want João Felix to replace PSG-bound Ousmane Dembélé

Barcelona could soon be looking to bolster their attacking options and Xavi Hernandez is reportedly interested in signing João Felix from Atlético Madrid.

Feliz spent the second half of last season on loan to Premier League side Chelsea after falling out of favour at Atléti. He returned to Atlético this summer but caused a stir in Spain when he told a reporter that it was “a dream” of his to sign for LaLiga rivals Barcelona.

With Ousmane Dembélé close to leaving Barça for Paris Saint-Germain, Sport report that Felix has been identified as a possible replacement.

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However while Felix is out of favour with Diego Simeone, Barcelona will not get the 23-year-old on the cheap. In 2019 Atleti paid a club-record fee of €126 million ($138m) to bring the forward to the Spanish capital. Even now, Atlético will demand a substantial fee for a player who still has the majority of his career ahead of him.

Barça move would be “a dream come true” for Felix

The relationship between Felix and Simeone became strained last season but the real controversy came this summer when the Portuguese star returned to his parent club.

In July Felix spoke to reporter Fabrizio Romano and revealed that Barcelona was the team that he had always wanted to play for.

“I’d love to play for Barça,” Felix admitted. “Barcelona has always been my first choice and I’d love to join Barça. It was always my dream since I was a kid. If it happens, it will be a dream come true for me.”

It is thought that Barcelona had previously decided against making a move for Felix, judging that Atléti would demand too high a price. But that statement from Felix, along with an expected windfall from the Dembélé transfer, has prompted a rethink within the club hierarchy.

With less than two weeks to go until the start of the LaLiga season, will João Felix be warming the bench for Atléti’s opening game against Granada?