Unai Emery 'dream' signing emerges at Aston Villa after big-money fee agreed

Aston Villa have emerged as possible contenders to make a huge move for Joao Felix this summer, according to Fabrizio Romano.

The transfer journalist posted on his Instagram page [22 July] to claim that Villa are including the Atletico Madrid ace on their list of potential replacements for Moussa Diaby, who Romano reported is heading to Al-Ittihad for a package worth over £50m [21 July].

Boss Unai Emery is an admirer of Felix [Fabrizio Romano, 22 July] with the 24-year-old described as a "dream" target at Villa Park.

It is understood that the deal would be a difficult one to strike, due to the transfer fee and salary requirements involved in bringing the Portuguese forward back to the Premier League.

Aston Villa in ambitious Joao Felix chase

Aston Villa may not have necessarily banked on losing Diaby after just one season given how the winger contributed to achieving the club's Champions League dream.

The eye-watering numbers involved in the 25-year-old's personal terms with Al-Ittihad however was always going to make keeping hold of him an uphill battle [Florian Plettenburg, 21 July].

Emery and Villa must dust themselves down and reinvest the funds wisely into the squad, with Felix - whose contract runs until 2029 in the Spanish capital - certainly a speculative target.

The post from Romano details that Atletico are only really considering a sale rather than a third loan for a player who has already been borrowed by both Chelsea and Barcelona in the past 18 months.

Barca remain interested in Felix following his 10 goal contributions in 18 La Liga starts last season, but are prioritising Nico Williams, who has just enjoyed a superb Euros tournament with Spain.

In other Aston Villa news, Bryan King predicts Amadou Onana's impact at his new club.

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