Atletico sign Portuguese wonderkid in colossal £113m deal

Nestor Watach

Portugal forward Joao Felix has moved from Benfica to Atletico Madrid in a massive deal worth €126m (£113m), making him the fifth most expensive player in history.

The Portuguese giants confirmed that Atletico will pay the fee in instalments, bidding €6m more than the €120m release clause in order to secure the deal.

The teenager only made his debut in August, breaking through and scoring 15 goals to help Benfica win the Portuguese title last season.

The club announced the transfer with a video on Twitter which shows the 19-year-old in an art gallery, accompanied by the hashtag #PureTalent.

He’s behind only Neymar, Kylian Mbappe, Philippe Coutinho and Ousmane Dembele in the all-time list of most expensive transfers.

It’s set to be a big transitional season at Atletico, with club captain Diego Godin moving along to Inter. The Spanish giants also announced earlier today that key midfielder Rodri will be moving to Man City in a deal worth £62.6m.

It’s also widely expected that Antoine Griezmann will be moving to their La Liga rivals Barcelona.

Both Manchester clubs were linked with Felix, but they were unable to match the gigantic fee that Atletico offered.