Barcelona president Joan Laporta has been revealed to have compared new signing Joao Felix to superstars Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland.
Barca confirmed the signing of Felix on loan from Atletico Madrid on deadline day of the summer transfer window, fulfilling the forward's self-proclaimed "dream" of joining the club.
Felix made his debut for his new club at the weekend, making a 10 minute cameo appearances in Barcelona's 2-1 win over Osasuna in La Liga.
It's now been revealed by SPORT journalist David Bernabeu just how excited the club president Laporta is about the signing of Felix on loan from Atleti. When asked by the journalist if he would prefer to, hypothetically, sign either Haaland or Mbappe, Laporta is noted to have replied: "You know that if I could, I would bring Joao Felix."
Felix was widely regarded as one of the most exciting young talents in world football when he joined Atletico Madrid for a whopping £119m back in 2019, however the forward has largely failed to live up to expectations thus far by scoring just 25 La Liga goals in 97 appearances.
Meanwhile, Haaland and Mbappe have risen to superstardom, with the former winning a historic treble at Manchester City last season and the latter becoming only the second footballer in history to score a hat trick in a World Cup final back in December 2022.
Much bigger things are now expected of Felix following his arrival at Barca, with manager Xavi Hernandez explaining that he has plenty of plans to get the best out of the Portugal international.
"I see him both as a striker and on the left wing, and also the right," he explained. "I liked Joao Felix [in his debut]. He has helped. I'd highlight his attitude, which is very important for the team."
"He is comfortable going from the wing to the inside. He can play as a 9, on the right, but he is less comfortable there. He is versatile, he will give us alternatives and will help us a lot."
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This article was originally published on 90min as Barcelona president compares Joao Felix to Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland.
