A number of clubs from around Europe have been linked with the Portugal star, but which is the best fit?
What a difference a shirt makes, huh? Well, to be fair. It's about more than just a shirt. It's about a system, about ideology, about freedom.
That's the big buzzword surrounding Joao Felix these days: freedom. With Portugal, he's free to be the player many thought he could be when Atletico Madrid bought him for a club-record fee of €126 million(£113m/$142m) in the summer of 2019. He's free to dominate the attacking phase in ways he has never been able to do under Diego Simeone.
And, pretty soon, it appears Felix will be free of Simeone's shackles, free to bring the Portugal version of his game to one of the world's biggest clubs.
The race to sign Felix will surely heat up soon, with even Atletico admitting that it seems time for all involved to move on.
"He is the biggest bet this club has taken in its history. I personally think he's a top talent, a world-class player," CEO Gil Martin told . "For reasons it isn't worth getting into – the relationship between him and the boss [Simeone], the minutes played, his motivation right now – it makes you think that the reasonable thing is that if there's an option that's good for the player, good for the club, we can look at it.
"I'd love him to stay personally, but I don't think that's the player's idea."
Felix has said as much, taking a thinly-veiled shot at Simeone's Atletico after providing two assists to lead Portugal to a 6-1 rout of Switzerland in the World Cup last 16.
"The way you play here and at the club are different," he said. "When the conditions are favourable, things go better."
Clubs will be lining up to secure Felix's signature as, despite his struggles at Atleti, the 23-year-old attacker remains one of the sport's most promising young stars.
GOAL is here to break down which clubs will be after Felix, and at which club he may be able to play as the best version of himself:
Getty ImagesManchester United
One Portugal star out, another one right back in?
That could be the hope at Manchester United, who are certainly in the market for attacking talent. The player most often linked has been Cody Gakpo, but they'll surely have their eye on Felix, too.
And for good reason. Felix is a well-rounded attacker that can play centrally, on the wing or as a second striker. In that sense, he seems an ideal attacker for Erik ten Hag, a manager that would be glad to unleash Felix in a way that Simeone never has.
Add in the presence of Portugal star Bruno Fernandes, who would offer Felix both a familiar face in the dressing room and a familiar creator on the field to link up with.
Still, though, United may be in the market for a more natural goalscorer, something that the club sorely lacks at the moment. It may make more sense for them to stay out of the Felix sweepstakes and look elsewhere, like, say, towards his Portugal team-mate Goncalo Ramos perhaps?
AdvertisementGettyJuventus
Talk about a Paulo Dybala replacement…
Dybala tearfully left Turin this summer on a free to join Jose Mourinho's Roma, and while Juventus brought in a number of big signings in players like Angel Di Maria, Paul Pogba and Filip Kostic, none can quite do what Dybala did.
Well, Felix can. He's a very similar player and many would argue that he might just have a higher ceiling than the Argentine.
Like Dybala, Felix can thrive as that second striker, as a No.10 or out wide, with the latter being his spot for Portugal. For Juve, he'd be a seemingly-perfect addition to the attack next to or just behind Dusan Vlahovic, Moise Kean or Arkadiusz Milik.
The big question, as usual, is money, or in this case, lack thereof.
Juventus are a club in disarray with the club's entire leadership structure now all gone. It's unlikely a star like Felix would be ready to jump into that sort of mess, and it's more unlikely Juventus could get it together enough to pull off the signing of a star like Felix.
The tactical fit is there, but the finances will be a major hurdle.
GettyParis Saint-Germain
They're always in the mix, aren't they?
If there's a big-name attacker on the market, you can bet that someone somewhere will claim PSG are interested, even if it rarely makes sense.
This falls into that category.
PSG have their star attackers and, even with their infinite riches, spending eight-to-nine figures on Felix probably isn't going to get them any closer to that long-awaited Champions League. They already have Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe and Neymar. They're fine.
However, it should be said that they did lose Angel Di Maria this past summer and there's been plenty of rumblings about one of or both of Mbappe or Messi leaving in the near future. If they do, Felix could become a new centerpiece in Paris.
That's a big if, though.
Getty ImagesArsenal
Arsenal should be in the market for an attacker, but is Felix the one?
Gabriel Jesus' kneeinjury has left the Premier League leaders with just one fit striker, Eddie Nketiah, which is obviously less-than-ideal. So, heading into January, the Gunners have two ways of handling that.
The first is to sign a stopgap signing to get them through Jesus' absence and, eventually, be his backup. There are plenty of good, veteran strikers that can be signed on the cheap to fill this role.
The other? To sign a player that can play instead of Jesus and then with Jesus, and Felix sure fits the bill.
Although Arsenal do have plenty of attacking talent, with players like Gabriel Martinelli and Bukayo Saka becoming stars in their own right, the signing of Felix would give them one more weapon that can start across the front line or in place of Martin Odegaard in midfield.
It's one that does make sense, you have to say.