Nearing the end of a frantic summer transfer window for all the right reasons in the Midlands, Aston Villa are now preparing to round things off by submitting a big-money offer to steal the headlines one last time.
Aston Villa transfer news
The Villans have been one of the busiest sides in Europe, welcoming the likes of Amadou Onana, Ian Maatsen and Ross Barkley whilst bidding farewell to Douglas Luiz and Moussa Diaby. Complying with the Premier League's profit and sustainability rules and adding plenty of reinforcements, those at Villa Park can deem the summer transfer window a great success – but they may not be done there.
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Recent reports have linked those in the Midlands with further arrivals before the transfer window slams shut, with Semih Kilicsoy one of the names mentioned. The 18-year-old Besiktas forward is someone who could replace Jhon Duran if the West Ham-linked striker completes a move away from Aston Villa this summer. However, before that happens, Villa have reportedly turned their attention towards a La Liga star.
According to CaughtOffside, Aston Villa are preparing to launch a €60m (£52m) move to sign Joao Felix from Atletico Madrid this summer. The former Chelsea loanee reportedly wants out of the La Liga club with Aston Villa seemingly ready to offer him the exit route that he so desperately desires before the end of the month.
In what would arguably be their most impressive move yet, Villa could land a player who could do more than simply replace Duran. They'd be getting a player who could partner Ollie Watkins to form one of the most interesting duos in the Premier League. That said, given that Atleti signed Felix for a reported £113m back in 2019, it remains to be seen whether they would sanction a sale for under half that price.
"Special" Felix would partner Watkins
As if Watkins isn't impressive enough on his own, Felix could now emerge to take the England international up another level. The Portugal star may well have Premier League redemption on his mind, too, given how he struggled to make his mark at Chelsea in the 2022/23 campaign.
Goals
7
19
Assists
3
13
Expected goals
8.7
16.8
Key passes
19
45
Earning a reported £97,000 a week, whilst Felix's output didn't exactly stand out last season on loan at Barcelona, the fact that he was almost in line with his expected goals total suggests that, when given the chance, he's rarely wasteful.
Even though he is seemingly destined for the exit door, it's worth noting that Felix earned plenty of praise during his time at Atletico Madrid, with former teammate Alvaro Morata saying via Goal: "The truth is that Joao has a special talent, that last pass. Although also Correa, Lemar, Marcos, Koke… the people behind put up great balls and we have to keep working and run into space."
With a matter of weeks left until the summer transfer window slams shut, there's no doubt that Villa's pursuit of Felix will be one to watch.