Atletico Madrid Makes Reported U-Turn on Joao Felix, Ready to Take Barca Loanee Back

• Atletico Madrid are reportedly open to having Joao Felix return to the club
• The forward was sent out on loan to Barcelona amid tension with his coach
• The talented Portuguese youngster joined Rojiblancos in 2019 from Benfica

Atletico Madrid have not shut the door on Joao Felix returning to the club despite the reported fallout between the player and his manager, Diego Simeone.

La Rojiblancos spent a club record fee of €126 million to sign the Portuguese forward from Benfica but he had failed to live to the fullness of his potential at the La Liga club, leading to him being shipped out on loan to rivals, Barcelona.

According to GOAL, Atletico Madrid president, Enrique Cerezo has revealed that Felix will return to the club should Barcelona not sign the player permanently, owing to their well-publicised financial crisis.

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"João has joined Barca on loan, he's playing there, and he's one of the best players in Europe. If next year Barca don't want to keep him, he will be back at Atleti. It's very easy, no?"

Felix, who had initially joined Chelsea in January, secured a dream move to Barcelona on loan in the summer after reportedly falling out with Atletico manager, Diego Simeone.

Felix hits back at Atletico players

Meanwhile, Felix was not amused by accusations levelled at him by former teammates, Antoine Griezmann and Saul Niguez ahead of Barcelona's match against Atletico Madrid, Football Espana reports.

Griezmann had previously stated the Barcelona loanee lacked the consistency to make it at Atletico, a problem that plagued him for four years, while Saul had previously stated he could have done things better during his time at the Madrid club.

However, Felix has disagreed with both players' opinions as the reunion between the forward and his former Atletico Madrid teammates started shaping up to be a heated one when both teams met on Sunday night.

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Felix slams Diego Simeone’s tactics

Sports Brief also reported on Felix launching a scathing attack on Atletico and their style of play under Simeone, risking more fury from his ex-club’s supporters.

Despite Atletico being open to his potential return and even agreeing to a contract extension before his departure, he hasn't held back from provoking his parent club.

The 2019 Golden Boy Award winner, who recently took to the media ahead of the clash against his former team in La Liga, touched on their more defensive approach.