Journalist Pete O'Rourke has claimed that signing Atletico Madrid and Portugal star Joao Felix would 'be a massive coup' for Aston Villa.

The Lowdown: Interest there

Villa's interest in Felix has been widely reported, as he could leave Atletico in the January transfer window.

Journalist Fabrizio Romano, who dubbed him a 'special talent', has shared that there are 'tensions' between Felix and his manager Diego Simeone, meaning that the former is 'open' to leaving in 2023.

The Latest: Be a 'massive coup'

Speaking to GiveMeSport, O'Rourke has claimed that it would be a 'massive coup' for Villa to sign Felix:

“It’d be a massive coup to get someone like Joao Felix to make the move to Villa Park right now. Obviously, you’ve got Unai Emery there who will know all about Felix from his time in Spain as well.

“But Villa have shown in the past that they can attract players, they signed Philippe Coutinho last January from Barcelona, so they do have the finances and the lure to sign these top players.

“So, it just shows the ambition that Villa’s owners have got that they’re actually in the mix for Felix.”

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The Verdict: Unlikely...

As much of a big signing as Felix would be for the Villans, it just seems highly unlikely that they would be able to attract him in January.

90min have listed European heavyweights Manchester United, Chelsea and PSG also among his potential suitors, and Felix may want to play for a team that can offer him European football.

Hailed as 'electric' for Portugal during the FIFA World Cup in Qatar by journalist Nico Cantor, the 23-year-old scored one goal and made two assists in four starts (Transfermarkt) before his country were knocked out by Morocco in the quarter-finals, showing the kind of promise that persuaded Atletico to pay a whopping £113m to sign him from Benfica back in 2019.

Nonetheless, Felix looked like a player that regained his confidence, but it would likely take a lot of persuading to get him to move to Villa Park.