Though he hadn’t scored for an age at Barcelona, it was written in the stars that he’d break his duck against parent club, Atletico Madrid, this past weekend.
The 23-year-old finally appears settled at a club, after what can only be described as a gigantic failure at Atleti and a poor showing on loan at Chelsea.
Felix has been far from prolific at Barca too, however, he has shown glimpses of the player that he can be, and that’s likely to be enough to tempt the Catalans into a purchase subject to a number of factors.
‘Joao Felix scored the winner for Barcelona against his parent club Atletico Madrid at the weekend, so what does the long-term future hold for him? As is often the case, it will depend on a lot of factors…,’ Fabrizio Romano noted in his exclusive Daily Briefing for CaughtOffside.
‘It will depend on the Financial Fair Play situation, on the sales that Barcelona will be able to complete. So there are many factors and for sure I think this is going to be a saga for May and for June, not for now.
‘So for now Barcelona just want to enjoy Felix – he just arrived three months ago. They’re very happy with him and he’s very happy there. The feeling is really great and also the feeling of those close to the player is that he can’t return to Atletico Madrid.
‘It’s clear to see that Joao Felix is enjoying life at Barca, and if Romano is correct in that he can’t go back to Atleti, if the Blaugranes can’t afford a purchase at season’s end, the Portuguese will be in a footballer’s no man’s land effectively.’
However, if all parties are willing to bend to some degree, where there’s a will, there’s a way, and a deal is likely to be constructed to suit.
With the European Championship just around the corner too, Felix and his countryman, Joao Cancelo, will be keen to show national team manager, Roberto Martinez, that they deserve two spots on the plane to Germany.