Barcelona and Chelsea flop Joao Felix linked with surprise return to former club: Reports

Joao Felix, who has struggled to impress at Barcelona and Chelsea, has been linked with a return to his former club Benfica. The forward has been on Atletico Madrid's books but he no longer sees a future for himself at the Wanda Metropolitano.

The Portuguese forward spent the last season with Barcelona, where he played a total of 44 games in all competitions, scoring ten goals and providing six assists.

The Blaugrana are interested in retaining his services, according to a report from Mundo Deportivo. However, the report claims that they simply do not have the financial resources to make it happen. The Spanish giants also have a fairly strong squad depth in the final third and will be able to make do without Joao Felix.

The season before he joined Barca, he played 16 Premier League games for Chelsea, scoring four goals during his loan spell. However, the Stamford Bridge hierarchy decided against keeping him long-term in England, leading to his return to the Wanda Metropolitano.

He cannot stay at Atletico Madrid much longer, as his relationship with manager Diego Simeone seems to have deteriorated over the past year (via GOAL). This has led to a report from Portugal outlet Record, who have claimed (via Mundo Deportivo) that he could return to his former club Benfica.

Joao Felix notably played 43 games for the Portuguese giants, scoring 20 goals and providing 11 assists. They would reportedly receive the forward 'with open arms' and give him a chance to rejuvenate his career in their first team.

All the club plan to offer is €20 million for 50% of his services and Felix will need to decide on his future after he ends his ongoing Euros campaign with Portugal.

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Joao Felix has struggled to find playing time with Portugal at Euro 2024

While his club situation looks dire, Joao Felix's national team situation does not look so good either. Although he joined the Selecao in 2019 and made 39 caps ahead of the Euros, he has struggled to find any consistent playing time.

The forward was involved their two most recent friendlies ahead of the tournament, even scoring a goal against Ireland. However, this has not led to more consistent opportunities for the 24-year-old attacker at Euro 2024.

Joao Felix was left on the bench for his side's first two group-stage wins against Czechia and Turkiye, where they conceded just once. He was handed the full match against Georgia but he could not impact the game positively, as they lost 2-0.

Portugal are now in the knockout stages of the tournament, where they beat Slovenia in the Round of 16. However, Joao Felix remained on the bench throughout that game and it is uncertain whether head coach Roberto Martinez will trust him with game time.