Aston Villa remain a possible destination for one of Europe’s most talented players this summer, but a deal could prove difficult.
Unai Emery has taken his Aston Villa squad to the United States as they continue their pre-season preparations.
There is no time to waste this summer, with Villa gearing up for a season that will see them compete in the Champions League alongside their domestic efforts.
Emery has welcomed seven signings already in the transfer window, with the £50 million capture of Amadou Onana the latest of an array of talent to make the move to Villa Park.
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This is by no means the end of Villa’s summer dealings, though, and there has been an update on a potential move for a player Emery is desperate to sign.
Aston Villa keep contact ‘active’ over move for Joao Felix
That player is Joao Felix, the enigmatic attacker who signed for Atletico Madrid for £113 million as a 19-year-old.
That move happened in 2019, with Benfica the beneficiaries of the mammoth fee.
However, Felix has struggled to live up to his enormous potential under the restricting Diego Simeone in Madrid and has had underwhelming loan spells at both Chelsea and Barcelona.
Atletico are keen for a sale this summer and Villa are one of the clubs interested, although the deal could be difficult due to an anticipated large fee and wages.
After it was thought Villa could walk away from a deal, transfer guru Fabrizio Romano has now provided an update that suggests they have not given up hope on a player Emery believes he can get back to his best.
According to Romano on ‘X’: ‘Aston Villa keep contacts active for Joao Felix as he’s the dream target for Unai Emery. Expensive package, deal not easy but Villa are still there’.
Felix could elevate Aston Villa attack for the Champions League
Despite Emery’s belief that he can return Felix to the form that saw Atletico shell out nine figures for his signature five years ago, any move would represent a significant risk.
Felix is a real talent and his creative flair could really help take Villa’s frontline to the next level following the departure of Moussa Diaby, but he needs to find consistency.
In his final season at Benfica, Felix registered an incredible 24 goal contributions in 26 league games whilst still a teenager.
He also has ten goals and three assists in 41 Champions League games across his career so has shown he can cut it at the top level.
If Emery can return the 24-year-old to his former glories then he could well be set to make one of the signings of the summer.
However, if he continues the plateau that he has experienced at Atletico then it could be an expensive mistake.
