Aston Villa 'prepare' £50m offer for Barcelona target as Chelsea open swap deal talks with Serie A striker

Aston Villa have offered to make Atletico Madrid star Joao Felix their highest earner in a bid to make a ‘statement signing’ ahead of their Champions League adventure.

The Portugal international scored ten goals and provided six assists in 44 appearances during a season-long loan stay with Barcelona last season and spending the second half of the previous campaign with Chelsea. After receiving a three-match suspension for a red card he was shown on his Blues debut in a 2-1 defeat at Fulham, Felix scored four goals in 20 appearances and looked set to make a permanent switch to West London.

Speaking at the end of the season, Felix praised Chelsea and seemed to hint he would be willing to make a permanent move to the Premier League. He said: “I don't know yet my future. But these four, five months, I loved it. It's a top club, everyone in the club was very good to me. My team-mates unbelievable. I really like to be here.”

However, new manager Mauricio Pochettino opted against a permanent move for Felix and the forward went on to remain in La Liga with Barca last season. However, his long-term future with Atleti remains shrouded in doubt and there are now strong reports suggesting Villa are willing to pay over £50m to add Felix to their squad ahead of their first Champions League campaign. HITC have claimed Villa are in talks over what they believe would be ‘a statement signing’ - but face competition from Barcelona and Portuguese giants Benfica. However, Unai Emery’s chances of landing the 24-year-old are boosted by the fact both clubs will only sanction a loan move.

Villa are said to be offering a £150,000-a-week package to make Felix their highest paid player but that falls short of the reported £250,000-a-week deal the forward is currently earning with the La Liga club. The report suggests the deal hinges on whether Felix will accept a cut in his weekly wage with Villa insisting Atleti could support to get the Portugal star off their wage bill.

Chelsea open talks over blockbuster striker swap deal

Chelsea have reportedly held talks with Serie A club Napoli over a reported swap deal involving Blues striker Romelu Lukaku and Nigerian international Victor Osimhen.

Lukaku has spent the last two seasons away from Stamford Bridge after agreeing season-long loan moves to Inter and Roma and could now make a permanent switch to Serie A as talks over a swap deal with Napoli continue. The Daily Express have claimed a new striker is ‘high on the agenda’ for the Blues after they became frustrated with Nicolas Jackson’s inconsistency during his first season at Stamford Bridge.

The likes of Julian Alvarez, Dominic Solanke and Newcastle United star Alexander Isak have all been mentioned as possible targets for the Blues but Osimhen now seems to be their main striker target and Chelsea will now hope to conclude a deal before the end of the summer transfer window.