Aston Villa to sign Atletico Madrid player to replace Moussa Diaby: Reports

According to reports, Aston Villa boss Unai Emery has Atletico Madrid striker Joao Felix 'on his wishlist'. The Villains are looking for attacking reinforcements after winger Moussa Diaby was linked with a £60 million transfer to Al-Ittihad this week. The Frenchman will join compatriots Karim Benzema and N'Golo Kante in Saudi Arabia, as Villa expect to earn a 17 million Euros profit on Diaby, who joined the club last summer.

The Portuguese attacker has struggled to make amends with Atletico Madrid manager Diego Simeone in previous seasons and is now looking to leave the Spanish city permanently. Despite the club-record cost, Felix was forced to go out on loan the previous two seasons after falling out with Simeone. 

Aston Villa have identified Atletico Madrid's Felix as a potential addition to their attacking lineup ahead of their Champions League debut. Unai Emery's squad travels to the London Stadium for their opening game of the season against West Ham, beginning off what promises to be a thrilling season, featuring a Champions League debut. As excitement builds for top-tier European football, Villa knows they'll be in good hands as Emery extended his contract this summer.

Joao Felix has contract with Atletico Madrid which keeps him until 2027

Joao Felix transferred from Benfica to Atletico Madrid in July 2019 for 114 million Euros, he became the fourth-most expensive player in history. Under the terms of the planned agreement, Benfica would buy 50% of Felix's rights, giving Atletico the right to keep half of any future transfer fees.

Joao Felix, who scored 10 goals in 44 appearances for Barcelona between 2023 and 2024, has been on loan from Atletico for most of the previous two seasons. Felix is a player of interest to Unai Emery, and Chelsea paid 11 million Euros to borrow him for the second half of 2022–2023. Felix has a contract with Atletico Madrid that runs through 2027.