‘Nobody above Atletico Madrid’ – Diego Simeone hits back at Joao Felix after forward confirms desire to play for Barcelona

• Felix wants Barcelona move
• Transfer still in the pipeline
• Simeone slams Felix for his comments

WHAT HAPPENED? The Portugal international has incurred the wrath of the Atletico manager for his Barcelona “dream” transfer admission. In a recent interview with Fabrizio Romano, Felix confessed his “love to play for Barca” and revealed that it has been his “dream” to play at the Camp Nou since he was a child. The comments have not gone down well with Simeone who took a savage dig at the player by asserting that the club is above every individual.

WHAT THEY SAID: When asked about the future of Joao Felix, he said: “The most important thing is that none of us in the team is more important than Atlético de Madrid. Atleti is much more important than all of us. When we arrived at this club, the values and their way of working such as commitment, humility, and respect must be given by each one from the place we are until the day we are, but make it clear that there is nobody, but nobody, but nobody above Atlético Madrid.”

THE BIGGER PICTURE: Atletico fans have also taken offence and made their feelings known by striking a cross through a plaque bearing his name at Wanda Metropolitano. Although it has been reported that Atletico have given the green signal for Felix to complete his “dream” transfer to Barcelona on a loan deal including a purchase option, there’s no sign of a transfer as things stand. Barcelona’s financial problems have been well-documented, while the player has flown to Japan with the rest of his team-mates for pre-season commitments.

IN TWO PHOTOS:

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WHAT NEXT? It remains to be seen if Felix can force himself into Simeone’s plans by impressing in pre-season if a transfer to Barcelona fails to materialise.