Atletico Madrid have reportedly given attacker Joao Felix the green light to join Barcelona this summer.
The 23-year-old has been the subject of much speculation throughout this summer after returning to Atletico following a short-term loan spell with Chelsea last season.
Felix, who scored just four goals in 20 appearances for Chelsea, is now believed to be weighing up his options ahead of the 2023-24 campaign, with clubs in both England and Spain said to be interested in his services.
While Chelsea have rejected the chance to re-sign Felix, the likes of Manchester United and Aston Villa have been credited with an interest in the Portugal international along with La Liga champions Barcelona.
A recent report from journalist Fabrizio Romano claims that Felix has expressed his desire to join Barcelona this summer and has made it clear that he is keen to fulfil his childhood dream by securing a move to Camp Nou.
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Although Felix signed a new contract with Atletico in January until June 2027, Spanish news outlet AS reports that the La Liga club have given Felix the go-ahead to join Barcelona this summer.
The report adds that Felix is a long-term admirer of Barca president Joan Laporta and both clubs are hopeful that the deal "can come to fruition during this week."
It is understood that Felix would most likely join Barcelona on an initial loan deal with an option or obligation to buy, as the cash-strapped Catalan giants are still working around their well-documented financial troubles.
Atletico and Barca had allegedly reached an agreement for the transfer of Felix in January 2022, before the former pulled the plug on the proposed move, but they are now prepared to part ways with the attacker.
Felix's desire to join Barcelona has angered Atletico fans, who were seen vandalising a plaque of the forward outside the Wanda Metropolitano on Wednesday.
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Felix joined Atletico for a club-record £114m from Benfica in 2019 and was widely regarded at the time as one of the brightest prospects in world football.
However, the attacker has failed to reach the heights expected at the Wanda Metropolitano and he has fallen down the pecking order under head coach Diego Simeone, starting only seven La Liga matches in the first half of last season.
Felix has scored 34 goals and registered 18 assists in 131 appearances for Atletico across all competitions, while he has also chipped in with five goals in 31 international games for Portugal.
Barcelona have completed three signings so far this summer with Ilkay Gundogan and Inigo Martinez both arriving on free transfers from Manchester City and Athletic Bilbao respectively, while Oriel Romeu has joined from Girona for around £3m.
Oliver Thomas
