Barcelona very close to completing the capture of Joao Felix

A late report from Fabrizio Romano last night has revealed that Ansu Fati could be soon headed to Brighton & Hove Albion on a loan deal.

And the departure of the 20-year-old La Masia prodigy could pave the way for Barcelona to bring in one more player this summer, with all eyes on Joao Felix.

Barcelona close to completing Felix deal

According to Alex Pintanel, Barcelona are on the verge of completing a deal to sign Joao Felix this week.

This comes on the back of speculation linking Fati to an imminent move to Brighton, which in turn, could free up some FFP margin for Barcelona.

It was earlier reported that in order to sign Felix, Barça had to offload one of their attackers. Abde Ezzalzouli seemed the likeliest candidate, but it appears Fati is now set to leave the club.

The addition of Felix could boost Barcelona’s ranks in the offensive unit, which has otherwise had to deal with the exit of Ousmane Dembele.

Xavi, for his part, was not completely sure of signing Felix and had preferred signing his compatriot Bernardo Silva.

But the Portuguese international was too expensive for the Blaugrana, while the player himself ended up penning a contract extension at Manchester City.

Agreement close

Barcelona, therefore, are left with no choice but to go after Felix, who is coming on the back of a dismal loan spell at Chelsea during the second half of last season.

The report claims that a three-way agreement between Atletico Madrid, Barcelona, and Felix is very close to being completed.

Jorge Mendes and Deco have been key to unlocking this operation, although the Catalans must resolve their pending FFP issues for the deal to go through without any hiccups.

The former SL Benfica prodigy has significant experience in La Liga and is capable of operating in a variety of roles in the final third, which should bode well for Xavi.

If Felix can improve his defensive work-rate, he could prove to be an asset for Barcelona this season.