Aston Villa stance on Joao Felix transfer shared as Chelsea enter negotiations
Aston Villa have the money to secure Joao Felix on a permanent transfer ahead of Chelsea, according to Alan Hutton.
The Portugal international is understood to be one of the options Unai Emery and the Villans are considering to replace Moussa Diaby this summer following his transfer to Al-Ittihad [Fabrizio Romano, 24 July].
However, Chelsea are already in negotiations over a deal for the 24-year-old with the decision now lying with the Blues as to whether they meet the Spanish club’s demands [Fabrizio Romano, 12 August].
While Felix has already given the move to Stamford Bridge his greenlight, Hutton believes Emery would be able to get the best of the attacker and help him maximise his potential in the Premier League.
“I think he could,” Hutton exclusively told Villa News.
“Unai Emery is very intense, I think if he can get on board with that and dial into what he wants then I think he could be a really good signing.
“This is a guy that not that long ago moved to Atletico Madrid for £115million, it’s not quite worked out and he’s been on loans, big loans to big teams.
“I liked him when he first came to Chelsea and now that Moussa Diaby has left for £50million-plus, he kind of played on that inside role as that sort of second striker role and I think Joao Felix could really fit into that.
“He likes ball carriers, he likes guys getting on the ball who make things happen.
“If they can get a good deal for him, I think Villa have got the money to go and spend whether that be £50million or whatever as they’ve just brought that in for Diaby.
“It will be an interesting one. I think these are the types of players you need with experience heading into a Champions League campaign. You need those match-winners because you’re going to come up against the best teams in Europe.
“So it will be interesting to see if they can get it over the line.”
Will Joao Feliz exit Atletico Madrid amid Aston Villa transfer rumours?
If Villa do want to bring Felix to Villa Park this summer, they’re going to have to make their move quickly as it seems as though Chelsea are currently in pole position to get a deal over the line in the coming days.
As Hutton suggests, the Villans have the financial muscle to secure the 24-year-old’s signature, but they are yet to make a concrete offer to try and win the race for his services.
With Diaby’s exit confirmed, it does feel as though the Villans could do with at least one more attacking option to bolster their ranks ahead of the new season and on the face of it, Felix appears to be the perfect fit for an Emery system.
In other Aston Villa news, Jean-Philippe Mateta’s stance on a move to Villa Park has been mooted after a Crystal Palace contract update
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