Chelsea's Joao Felix reportedly offered his services back to Barcelona before being loaned to AC Milan for the second half of the season.
The Portugal international found himself on the periphery of Enzo Maresca's Blues squad in the first half of the campaign and was given the green light to see out the rest of the term at San Siro.
Felix made an immediate impact in Milan colours, scoring on his debut in a 3-1 Coppa Italia win over Roma on February 5 before also starting the weekend's 2-0 success over Empoli.
As things stand, the former Atletico Madrid man will be heading back to Stamford Bridge at the end of the campaign, and he is not due to become a free agent for another six-and-a-half years.
While Felix has enjoyed a fast start to life at San Siro, Sport claims that his agent Jorge Mendes offered Barcelona the chance to re-sign their former attacker before the January transfer window closed.
Barcelona 'rejected' chance to re-sign Felix
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Felix spent the entirety of last season on loan at Camp Nou, thereby fulfilling a lifelong dream to represent Barcelona, and he registered 10 goals and six assists in 44 appearances for the Catalan giants.
The 25-year-old did not do enough to earn a permanent move to Hansi Flick's team, while his irreparable relationship with Diego Simeone meant that his Atletico career was also dead in the water.
Despite Felix's respectable numbers at Barcelona last season, the report adds that La Blaugrana turned down the chance to re-sign Felix, even though he was "very keen" on going back to Catalonia.
Barca's rejection came in spite of Felix's agent Mendes holding talks with club president Joan Laporta and sporting director Deco, who turned down a reunion with the ex-Atletico man for two reasons.
Barcelona are still operating under strict salary cap limits and would have had to sell before welcoming any new players to the club last month, while Felix is also not believed to have been the 'desired profile' for the first team.
While Flick would have apparently been happy to have Felix in his squad, the German never made a concerted effort for the club to sign him, and the Portugal international's future beyond the end of the campaign remains uncertain.
Felix has amassed a total of 11 goals and two assists across two separate spells for Chelsea, who first welcomed him to West London on loan from Atletico for the second half of the 2022-23 season.
Why Barcelona should not regret missing out on Felix
© Imago
Barcelona may have a two-point gap to make up to Real Madrid at the top of the La Liga table, but Flick's side do not have a lack of attacking incisiveness to blame for their current predicament.
Indeed, La Blaugrana have struck a league-high 64 goals in the current Spanish top-flight campaign, including four in their 4-1 thumping of Sevilla over the weekend, as Robert Lewandowski, Lamine Yamal and Raphinha continue to shine in the final third.
While Felix evidently has plenty to offer in the final third, Barcelona should not live to regret their decision to turn their nose up to a winter reunion.
Ben Knapton
