Atletico Madrid president confirms Joao Felix exit wish
- Felix returned from a loan with Chelsea this summer
- Portuguese forward has publicly flirted with a move to Barcelona
- Felix is yet to play for Atletico this season
By Tom Gott
Atletico Madrid president Enrique Cerezo has confirmed Joao Felix wants to leave the club this summer.
The Portugal international spent the second half of last season on loan with Chelsea after losing his place under Diego Simeone but returned to the Wanda Metropolitano this summer after the Blues declined to pursue a permanent move.
Since then, Felix has publicly flirted with Barcelona, admitting his desire to move to Camp Nou in the future.
Felix did not play a single minute in pre-season, with Atletico citing injury as an explanation, while a fresh fitness concern has since been blamed for his failure to appear for the club since the La Liga season began.
Amid all the uncertainty, Cerezo has now confirmed Felix's desire to leave the club.
READ MORE FROM 90MIN'S TALKING TRANSFERS TEAM
feed
"Joao Felix is clear that he does not want to play for Atletico Madrid," Cerezo told La Sexta.
"Whether they want him at other clubs, that's a different question, but even if he doesn't want to be, he's still an Atletico Madrid player."
90min understands Felix's focus remains solely on joining Barcelona, who had been targeting Bernardo Silva from Manchester City but have now turned their attention to talks with Atletico.
While Atletico would prefer a permanent departure worth somewhere close to the €126m (£113m at the time) they paid to sign Felix in 2019, they are understood to be prepared to sanction another loan deal this season.
LISTEN NOW TO 90MIN'S TALKING TRANSFERS PODCAST
On this edition of Talking Transfers, part of the 90min podcast network, Scott Saunders is joined by Graeme Bailey to discuss Liverpool signing Wataru Endo, Man Utd's difficulty selling players and West Ham's pursuit of Mohammed Kudus - and more!
If you can't see this embed, click here to listen to the podcast!