Arsenal are now reportedly ‘close’ to signing Atletico Madrid attacker Joao Felix on loan this month ahead of their rivals Manchester United.
Felix finds himself in a difficult position at Atletico Madrid as he fell out of favour with Diego Simeone before the World Cup.
The attacker has only started six times in La Liga this season but silenced some of his doubters with his form for Portugal at the World Cup. He grabbed a goal and two assists in four games as his side reached the quarter-finals.
His situation at Atletico remains the same though and he is looking to leave the club this month.
The Spanish side paid around £113m to sign Felix in 2019 so any deal for him in January was always going to be expensive.
It has been reported that the loan fee for Felix could be as much as £19m. He is also understood to earn around £250,000 a week.
Aston Villa were initially linked with the Portugal international but it has been reported in recent days that Arsenal and Man Utd are the clubs leading the race to sign him.
United are short of funds after they spent over £200m on new recruits in the summer.
It is being widely reported that they will have to prioritise the loan or free agent market to sign a replacement for Cristiano Ronaldo. But a deal for Felix is considered to be too costly at the moment.
Italian outlet Corriere dello Sport are reporting that it is a ‘costly loan’ but Arsenal are ‘getting closer’ to signing Felix.
The forward ‘will leave’ Atletico this month after his ‘break up’ with Simeone and Arsenal ‘stay ahead’ of their rivals in the battle for his services.
The Gunners are said to have ‘established a direct channel’ with the player and Spanish club. Due to this, ‘there could already be a decisive acceleration in the next few hours’.
Mikel Arteta is reportedly ‘confident’ that the transfer will be completed but he is ‘aware of competition’ from Man Utd.
All parties want to get the deal over the line, but Atletico’s financial demands could push Arsenal into walking away.
A separate report from The Express states that Arsenal ‘won’t agree to the current package demands set by stubborn Atletico Madrid chiefs’.
The Londoners have ‘submitted a request to Jorge Mendes’ to see if the super-agent can ‘work on lowering the price’.
Mendes has reportedly been in Madrid in recent days ‘holding face-to-face discussions with Atletico over the future of his client to determine whether the La Liga…
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