Barcelona dealt blow in hopes of keeping hold of João Félix

A concerning update on the chances of La Liga giants Barcelona keeping hold of loanee frontman João Félix for next season has come to the fore on Sunday.

This comes amid the assurance that the brass at Atlético Madrid have no intention of making it easy for their Spanish top-flight rivals to extend Félix’s terms.

It is of course common knowledge across Spain that the powers that be at Barcelona are keen for Félix to stay put in Catalunya beyond the expiration of his loan this summer.

The Portuguese, despite his lasting inconsistencies, is known to be held in high regard by compatriot Deco and his board of directors.

In turn, it has long been suggested that Barca intend to sit down to negotiate the terms of a new loan agreement with their counterparts at Atlético.

As much comes with the Blaugrana continuing to struggle for funds, and unlikely to be able to afford the price-tag on Félix’s head.

If the latest word stemming from the media on Sunday is anything to go by, however, then those behind the scenes in Catalunya’s capital are in line for a swift reality check.

As per a report from transfer insider Matteo Moretto of Relevo, as expected:

‘The Portuguese wants to stay in Barcelona and Barça will try to keep him.’

However, significantly, it is also assured that:

‘Atlético de Madrid does not want to repeat the formula of a simple loan with João Félix, as we already told you in December.’

It now remains to be seen whether or not a compromise can be found between the two La Liga heavyweights.

Conor Laird | GSFN