Joao Felix is likely to join Premier League side Aston Villa after Benfica’s president Rui Costa admitted that they cannot afford to sign the Portuguese this summer.
Felix, 24, returned to Atletico Madrid after completing his loan spell at FC Barcelona but he wants to leave the Madrid side as his relationship with head coach Diego Simeone is not great.
There were speculations that Felix may join Benfica this summer but Costa confirmed that if could bring the Portuguese back to the club, he would, but the club cannot pay the €70m fee.
"I'm not going to speculate any further about this situation," Costa said when asked about Felix. "I wouldn't say it's a closed case, because if I had the possibility of making him come home... I would.
"Just as I couldn't keep Joao Neves, because we're talking about a transfer of €70m, but I'm also not in a position to pay what João Félix still costs today. Benfica's transfer market isn't closed. There will be transfers and inflows until the end of the market. We still have a month.
"The market has been very quiet up until now, which is why the transfers are happening now. The squad is being built in a consistent, balanced and stronger way."
Unai Emery, who led Aston Villa to the top four finish last season, is a fan of Felix and tried to sign him in January 2023 but lost the deal to Chelsea as the Portuguese wanted to play Champions League football.
However, Villa will now compete in the Champions League this season and this could play a vital role in Felix’s move to the English club.
