Portugal forward Joao Felix has indicated his interest in staying at Barcelona but insisted that the final decision doesn’t rest with him. Felix’s loan move from Atletico Madrid to Barcelona will end this summer, but the Portuguese international is hopeful that he will secure a permanent switch to Barcelona during this summer’s transfer window.

With 35 appearances in all competitions and providing fifteen goal contributions, which involves nine goals and six assists, the future of the forward has constituted discussions at Barcelona.

Barcelona are willing to keep the 24-year-old, but finding an agreement with Atletico is the stumbling block as the reigning La Liga champions have financial problems. The 24-year-old has a contract with the capital club until June 2029, and Atletico Madrid will not accept a cut-price fee for the Portuguese.

However, the strained relationship between Felix and Diego Simeone may bar any potential future for the Portuguese at Wanda Metropolitano. The player continues to show his desire to stay at Camp Nou, stating that he is happy at the club and his family is also happy in the city.

“We’ll see what happens next year. My family is happy, and I’m happy. I would like to stay, but it doesn’t depend on me. The signing for Barca was the last day; there was nothing planned. I had to go to the stadium in the morning to unblock contractual issues that I had to renounce. It was either I renounced, or they wouldn’t let me come to Barca. We will see what will have to be done to stay at Barca; many things can change; it doesn’t depend only on me.” Felix said.

Barcelona’s next fixture is a UEFA Champions League clash with Paris German in France in the first leg of their quarterfinal fixture. They remain second on the La Liga table, trailing Real Madrid with eight points.

Daniel Ademiju Idowu