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Long-standing Manchester United target Joao Felix has definitively indicated that his preferred transfer destination this summer is Barcelona.
Felix is a player United have been linked with as far back as when he was making headlines at Benfica before his blockbuster €126m move to Atletico Madrid in 2019.
His time with Los Rojiblancos has not gone according to plan. Diego Simeone’s pragmatic football that heavily prioritizes the defensive side of the game has often worked against Felix whose greatest strengths lie in his ability to create and make things happen in attacking positions.
Tensions between the player and Simeone boiled over and a decision was taken to let him go out on loan during the winter window.
Alongside other Premier League giants including Arsenal and Chelsea, United expressed their interest in temporarily signing Felix in January.
It was well-known that Erik ten Hag was desperately on the hunt for attacking reinforcements after Cristiano Ronaldo’s acrimonious Old Trafford exit.
Atletico Madrid’s extremely high asking price for a loan arrangement to be given the greenlight saw the Red Devils pull out of a deal.
Chelsea eventually won the race to sign Felix and Ten Hag had to settle for the uninspiring Wout Weghorst. The Portuguese only managed four goals in 16 Premier League games for the Blues. He was an underwhelming acquisition to say the least and the London outfit elected not to permanently add him to the ranks.
Despite all this, rumours of United still holding an interest in Felix have not abated. Last week, The Peoples Person covered a report which stated that amidst admiration from the 20-time English champions, Benfica also have their former player on their radar.
It was also suggested that the Atletico Madrid star prefers to stay in the Premier League as he is seduced by the allure of English football with United keen on his services.
Additionally, United were said to have called Felix’s entourage to explore the possibility of bringing him to Old Trafford. Contact had yet to be established with Atletico.
However, it seems Felix has his heart firmly set on a switch to Barcelona.
The United target exclusively spoke to Fabrizio Romano and laid bare his wish to realize a childhood ambition of plying his trade in the Blaugrana’s famous colours.
“I’d love to play for Barça.”
“Barcelona has always been my first choice and I’d love to join Barça. It was always my dream since I was a kid.”
“If it happens, it will be a dream come true for me.”
🚨 EXCLUSIVE — João Félix statement on his future: “I’d love to play for Barça”.
◉ “Barcelona has always been my first choice and I’d love to join Barça”.
◉ “It was always my dream since I was a kid”.
◉ “If it happens, it will be a dream come true for me”. pic.twitter.com/3zg9BiCDgO
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) July 18, 2023
For United, this is a clear sign that they need to move on from Felix and steer clear of pursuing him.
