Barcelona rejected chance to sign Chelsea flop as they wanted Man Utd star instead
Barca were offered the Chelsea transfer flop.
Barcelona rejected the chance to sign Chelsea flop Joao Felix in January as they wanted to sign Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford instead.
Chelsea offloaded Felix less than six months after spending £45m to sign the Portuguese playmaker from Atletico Madrid.
Felix, who signed a seven-year deal with Chelsea, impressed during a loan spell at Stamford Bridge in 2023 but it was always hard to see where he would fit in given the presence of Enzo Maresca’s best player Cole Palmer.
Having started just three Premier League games this season, Felix was keen to depart in January and completed a deadline-day loan move to Serie A giants AC Milan.
Felix will hope to revive his stagnating career in Milan and enjoyed a bright start to the loan spell, scoring on his debut in the club’s Coppa Italia quarter-final victory over Roma.
According to Spanish outlet Sport, Felix was offered to Barcelona before he joined AC Milan but the La Liga powerhouse declined the transfer opportunity.
It is claimed Felix was keen to return to Barcelona, having joined them on loan after his first spell at Chelsea, but Nou Camp chiefs Joan Laporta and Deco responded negatively.
Barca were, however, interested in signing England international Marcus Rashford from Manchester United following his rift with Old Trafford boss Ruben Amorim.
A lack of January departures prevented Barcelona from bringing Rashford to the Nou Camp and he subsequently joined Unai Emery’s Aston Villa on loan until the end of the season.
Explaining his decision to offload Felix during the January transfer window, Chelsea boss Maresca said: ‘We decided, all together, that it was a good option for him to leave.
‘To be honest, he never complained. He has been very good with us, professional, just a matter of my decision.
‘The reason why is because I think we need defensive balance and when you have so many attacking players, sometimes you can concede transitions and goals. I don’t like that.’
Rashford was linked with a January move to Barcelona after falling out of favour under Amorim and not getting a look in since being axed for a Manchester derby earlier in the season.
‘I would like to thank Manchester United and Aston Villa for making this loan deal happen,’ the 27-year-old said after leaving his boyhood club on loan.
‘I was lucky to have a few clubs approach me but Aston Villa was an easy decision – I really admire the way that Aston Villa have been playing this season, and the manager’s ambitions.
‘I just want to play football and am excited to get started. I wish everyone at Manchester United all the best for the rest of the season.’
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