Diego Simeone has admitted that Joao Felix could leave Atletico Madrid after Newcastle United were linked with the forward.
The 23-year-old is being linked with a move away from Atleti, with Felix one of four players they are looking to offload during the January transfer window. They have already got rid of one of them, with Matheus Cunha set to join Wolves on loan.
Moving on Felix will be much tougher given his valuation, but his agent Jorge Mendes is on the lookout for a new employer.
The Portugal international has been linked with a move to St James’ Park, with the Mirror claiming that Mendes was planning to hold talks with the Magpies about a possible move.
Felix’s time at Atletico Madrid could be coming to an end, and his manager Diego Simeone has given a mixed response when asked about his number seven’s future.
Diego Simeone on Joao Felix future
The Argentinian boss has spoken to Goal, and given a rather open-ended answer to a question about Felix’s future at the Metropolitano Stadium.
“No one is indispensable and things will be as they have to be,” Simeone said.
It is very important for us. He has had a good World Cup, he participated in goals with the importance that the coach gave him.
“Hopefully we can have the best Joao who he saw himself in the World Cup. Hopefully we also give him that peace of mind and joy to show in the game all that was seen in the World Cup.”
Felix could leave Atletico amid Newcastle links
While Simeone hopes that Felix can recapture his World Cup form in an Atletico shirt, he has failed to rule out an exit.
The response from his manager suggest that Felix could very much be on his way out of the La Liga club in the near future. But could a move to Newcastle be on the cards?
The forward would be a brilliant addition to Eddie Howe’s squad. And he would also be a statement signing.
However, it is difficult to see how this deal could materialise from a financial perspective. It has been reported that the Toon owners do not plan on making any major signings during the January transfer window.
Felix would certainly be branded as a ‘major’ signing, and his asking price is pretty steep. It was recently claimed that Atleti want around £86million for the former Benfica man, having spent £113million on him in 2019. That would make him Newcastle’s most expensive signing ever.
There is always the option of a loan deal, while Simeone’s comments hardly suggest that he is desperate to keep Felix.
But, even after all that, it still feels incredibly difficult to see him signing for Newcastle – especially in January.
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