Aston Villa want Atletico Madrid to drop their demands for Joao Felix to around £50m to £60m if they go ahead with plans to sign him permanently this summer, 90 min you understand.
The West Midlands club have been linked with the Portuguese player in recent days as they look for a club ahead of their participation in the Champions League this season.
Sources have told us 90 min that Villa feel they can now move freely in the transfer market following Moussa Diaby's £50m sale to Al Ittihad, and would be willing to pay that amount, or even more, for a top-flight replacement.
Unai Emery is the main driver behind Villa's interest in Felix – he publicly admitted last year that he wanted Felix, but felt unavailable at the time. This situation has now changed and Felix is open to joining Villa due to Emery's pedigree and the lure of Champions League football.
Emery believes that Felix will be able to secure the No.10 spot behind Ollie Watkins – a position the player loves, but has not played much in recent years, often used on the wing.
Atletico are willing to sell Felix this summer to recoup some of the £111m they paid him in 2019. Any money raised from the sale could be used for Chelsea's Conor Gallagher, with the Blues still looking for money in the region of £. 50m. Arsenal target Mikel Merino is another cheap option discussed by Atleti.
Villa would be open to a loan with an option or obligation to buy Felix depending on the fee, although club sources insist they are in a good financial position heading into the new financial year, partly due to qualifying for the Champions League.
Talks have yet to progress on a deal as Villa seek to understand the terms of a potential transfer and Atletico are willing to lower their demands.
Felix had other options this summer after rejecting a new approach from Saudi Arabia, while Barcelona would like to re-sign him following a loan spell last season and would give his consent to return if finances allow.
But Barça are unlikely to be able to match any package Villa could make and any money spent by La Blaugrana is likely to start on Nico Williams.
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