Aston Villa were ‘leading the race’ for new Barcelona star ahead of transfer deadline

Aston Villa were reportedly in pole position to sign Joao Felix this summer before the Portuguese striker opted to join Spanish champions Barcelona.

After spending last season on loan at Chelsea from Atletico Madrid, Felix was surplus to requirements at Stamford Bridge following the arrivival of Mauricio Pochettino. After he returned to Spain, Felix was linked with a number of clubs including PSG, as well as Liverpool and Aston Villa.

According to reports in Spain (via the Daily Mail), Felix had offers from a number top flight clubs in both England and Saudi Arabia. The report states that at one stage in July, Unai Emery’s Villa were leading the race for the talented 23-year-old, who eventually stated his preference was to join Xavi’s Barcelona.

He signed a new contract at Atletico until 2029, before joing the Catalan club on a season long-loan deal.

During his spell in West London last season, Felix scored just four goals in 16 English top-tier appearances. He also failed to find the net in the Champions League.

Saudi Pro League club Al-Hilal also made an official approach to Felix before the deadline, with mouthwatering wages said to have been offered, but Felix is actually set to take a big pay cut by joining Barcelona, and is set to receive just £342,000 (€400,000) for the whole season, according to the Daily Mail.