Aston Villa willing to make former Chelsea, Barcelona star highest paid player

Premier League side Aston Villa are reportedly looking at making Joao Felix the highest paid player in the squad if he decides to join them.

Atletico Madrid welcomed Joao Felix back to training last week, with the Portuguese very much expected to leave the club for a third season in a row. Felix impressed on loan at Barcelona last season but is unlikely to continue at Atletico.

According to multiple report, Diego Simeone’s side wants a permanent exit for Felix but it will depend on the offers.

Benfica have shown interest in Felix, but it seems he has little intention of returning to Portugal as things stand, Barcelona are also interested but the Catalonia side will only consider a move on loan, without a fee. However, Atletico Madrid are not pleased with these clauses.

Joao Felix (Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images)

Aston Villa are the other side that have been consistently linked with Felix, and they are willing to reach Atletico’s €50m asking price for the 24-year-old. However, Felix would be required to take a wage cut.

Unai Emery is willing to make Felix their highest-paid player in their squad, offering a contract worth €9-10m per year, which is still a wage cut of around €5-6m per season – it is not clear whether these figures are gross or net wages.