Barcelona 'offered' Joao Felix deal in January - but La Liga giants rejected | OneFootball

Barcelona are reported to have turned down the chance to sign Joao Felix in the latter stages of the January transfer window.

Felix was made available by Chelsea just a few months after completing a £45m permanent transfer back to Stamford Bridge, following a previous loan in 2023.

The Portugal international failed to command more than sporadic minutes under Enzo Maresca and wound up eventually moving to AC Milan on loan to remove him from the bloated Blues squad.

But it wasn't just Milan who were offered a deal. Spanish publication SPORT writes that Barcelona were presented with the option, apparently Felix's initial choice after spending last season on loan with the Catalans.

That led agent Jorge Mendes to get in touch with sporting director Deco and president Joan Laporta, only to be turned down by the Barcelona officials.

Joao Felix quickly got off the mark for AC Milan / Marco Luzzani/GettyImages

Barca were in the market for a forward to boost the squad, but it is said that someone who could operate as both a striker and a winger was the intention. That is why Marcus Rashford was identified as a target, before financial caution ultimately killed the possibility of striking a deal.

It is said that Barca coach Hansi Flick would have been happy for Felix to join either last summer or in January, although it was never viewed as a priority for the club.

There, of course, remains the possibility that Felix could yet end up a Barcelona player again in the future. His loan with Milan only runs until the end of the season and does not include a pre-arranged option to buy, so any future deal must be negotiated from scratch.

Felix started his Milan spell with a Coppa Italia goal off the bench against Roma last week, before starting Saturday's win over Empoli for his Serie A debut.