João Félix has “extra motivation” for his return to Atlético Madrid

It’s now nearly five years since Atlético Madrid smashed their transfer record to secure the services of a 19-year-old João Félix from Benfica. At the time the Portuguese forward was one of the most highly-rated young players in the world, but he has failed to show his best form in the Spanish capital.

After an unsuccessful stint with Chelsea last year, Félix signed for Barcelona on a year-long loan deal. He appears to have regained confidence during his time with Barça and has already given Atleti a taste of what they’re missing.

When the two teams met at Estadi de Montjuic earlier this season João Félix scored the only goal of the Game to sink his parent club. On Sunday, with Félix’s Barcelona visiting Atleti for the return fixture, the 24-year-old is expecting a rough reception.

“It’s going to be a very complicated environment for the whole team. It’s going to be a little worse for me,” Félix said. “But I’m a Football player and I want to be accustomed to this type of thing. It motivates me more, I enjoy these important matches, have extra motivation.”

Will João Félix sign for Barcelona permanently?

The current situation, with Félix contracted to Atlético but playing for Barcelona, is a temporary one, and one that will almost certainly need to be resolved this summer. The player had fallen out of favour with Atleti boss Diego Simeone in recent seasons and was loaned out to give him the chance to regain his form and, perhaps more importantly, his market value.

Simeone seems unconvinced by Félix’s talents and Atlético, having spent €126 million ($137m) to bring him to the club, cannot afford to have such a lavish resource sitting on the bench.

Having spent 18 months out on loan this summer will be a decisive one for Félix as the club look for a permanent solution for their record signing. They would love to sell him to a club outside of Spain but there is a limited number of clubs who would be willing to come close to Atlético’s valuation.

Barcelona would be an obvious option and Félix has previously stated his desire to play for the club. However Barça remain mired in financial difficulties and the prospect of them coming up with a sizable transfer fee this summer seems unlikely. Félix may well have to look elsewhere to find the next step in his faltering young career; this weekend’s return to Atlético Madrid could be a perfect stage to show his enduring quality.