What now for Joao Felix? Assessing the limited options for the Portuguese star

We are into the final couple of days of the summer transfer window, and it is clear that Felix does not have a future at Atletico Madrid. Something must therefore be resolved quickly, or else the young talent could well spend the next few months watching proceedings from the bench rather than dazzling on the field.

His options, however, are not extensive. After an underwhelming loan spell at Chelsea in the second half of last season, he has found himself sidelined at Atletico Madrid, unpopular amongst fans and with the manager, and had to watch on as his side cruised to an impressive 0-7 victory over Rayo Vallecano, given not a single minute of game time in the rout.

So where next for the 23-year old, who commanded a fee of 120 million euros when Atletico signed him from Benfica just 4 years ago?

Barcelona

The most obvious choice. The club Felix is clearly most interested in joining, having said so much in a controversial interview back in July. The Spanish giants want him, he wants them - should be smooth sailing then, right?

Of course, with Barcelona, nothing is ever quite so easy. Their financial issues have flummoxed their plans on previous occasions, and though they are doing everything they can to make this move happen, gone are the days of trusting Barcelona with transfer dealings.

There is a feeling that this deal, which has been in the works for some time, will get done, although other pieces may have to fall into place for it to be achieved, while outgoings may also need to be considered.

With that in mind, it may be of some use to Felix to have a backup plan in place.

Back to Chelsea?

One thing Chelsea love to do nowadays is buy players, even more so if those players come with a high-profile, are ludicrously expensive, and attack-minded (without being an out-and-out striker, of course). Felix certainly fits the bill.

Though his loan spell at Chelsea was unspectacular, some will say that his glimpses of obvious quality show that he can be an excellent acquisition by the Blues, while others will argue that no player would have looked good in the Chelsea side of last season which finished in the bottom half of the table and even started to flirt with the idea of relegation as the campaign came to a close. Playing in a good team under a more impressive manager, he could well thrive back in London.

The problem? Is this actually a position Chelsea need to focus on? It seems as though they have every position covered at this point, and further signings would surely only illustrate the scattergun nature of Chelsea’s unorthodox transfer policy, if such a policy exists.

Back to Benfica?

Another idea that has floated about is a potential return to SL Benfica. No doubt that would prove popular among the Lisbon club’s supporters, seeing their star boy return to the Luz while still in the early days of his prime, although there are obious reasons as to why it is virtually impossible.

Firstly, Benfica obviously can’t afford to buy him. Any move would have to be a straight-forward loan deal, and that would surely be deemed unnacceptable to Atletico Madrid.

However, assuming that all his other options fail and Atletico simply want him out the door as the transfer window comes to an end, could Benfica be the club that pick him up on a short-term deal? There would be benefits to that.

But the other problem is; do Benfica actually need him? Of course, adding a player of his quality to the team can hardly be turned down, but Benfica aren’t exactly short of attacking options with the like of Rafa Silva, David Neres, Angel di Maria, Casper Tengstedt, Petar Musa and Arthur Cabral. Add in the fact that they have just re-signed Goncalo Guedes on another season-long loan and it really doesn’t look like Felix is even remotely being considered.

Saudi Arabia?

What seems like a realistic last resort is Saudi Arabia, and should Barcelona fail to get the move across the line, you can assume that teams from the Middle East will take full advantage.

Having been linked with a transfer to the league in which the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema are currently plying their trade, there has been the suggestion that Felix would accept such a proposal should all else fail, which does make is surprisingly plausible.

It becomes even more realisitic when you consider that the Saudi transfer window remains open for a couple of weeks’ longer than the European one. Should Barcelona fail, keep your eyes on some capitalisation from Asia.

Somewhere else…

As transfer deadline day approaches, panic buys become all the more the rave, and an unforeseen club swooping in for the Portugal international can never be ruled out.

After an unimpressive start to the season, could Man Utd think they should make one last addition before the window slams shut? Or will their City rivals make a shock move for a player Pep admires? How about PSG, who may want yet another attacking option after the departures of Neymar and Messi?

The problem is, there aren’t all that many other options available to Felix. Should Barcelona fail to muster up the cash, it could well be Saudi Arabia who are the most plausible destination for the 2019 Golden Boy.