Cristiano Ronaldo believes Joao Felix is an 'excellent' player with plenty of potential. The Portuguese legend, who has played with Felix at international level, has already made his feelings known about the talented forward.
Felix has recently been linked with a move to Newcastle United. He does not appear to have a future with Atletico Madrid having fallen out with manager Diego Simeone.
As the Chronicle revealed recently, the Spanish side are looking to send him out on loan for the 2023-24 campaign and have compiled a list of possible destinations. St James' Park is one of the options officials in the Spanish capital believe would be a suitable home.
A lot was expected of him following a £113m move from Benfica and he was even tipped to carry the country's hopes once Ronaldo calls time on his international career. However, the switch to Spain has clearly not worked out as expected and his future appears away from Atletico.
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Ronaldo is in no doubt about Felix's potential but believes there should not be too much fuss made about his price tag. Speaking at the time of his move from Benfica, Ronaldo had that much confidence in the then 19-year-old's ability that he felt he could actually repeat his success in Spain.
"Can he [Felix] repeat my successes in Spain? I believe that a lot because he is an excellent player with a lot of potential who can evolve," he told Mundo Deportivo.
"You can see the same with Bernardo [Silva], although he is already much more mature in this regard. It is difficult to make calculations in current football.
"You bet a lot on the potential, and the football industry is different. Leaving aside the case of Joao Felix, any player is worth £90m, even without having proven anything.
"There is more money in football. A central defender and a goalkeeper can be worth £60m to £70m. I don't agree, but this is the world we live in, and we have to respect it."
