Manchester United have moved first in a bid to sign Joao Felix on loan ahead of Arsenal and Chelsea this winter. The 23-year-old is available temporarily as he looks to remove himself from a deteriorating relationship with Atletico Madrid manager Diego Simeone in the search for consistent top-level game time.
Felix moved to Madrid for over £100million in 2019 but hasn't kicked on as expected since then and has led to club CEO Gil Marin explaining that leaving in January is an option. His stock has remained high throughout Europe, meaning that a handful of top clubs are all interested in bringing him in, with the Premier League a possible destination.
Arsenal need extra cover for Gabriel Jesus following his injury in Qatar whilst Chelsea's Armando Broja will miss the rest of the season with an anterior cruciate ligament injury. Elite level forwards are rarely available in January which has seen Felix's situation catch the interest.
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However, with a high-profile absentee of their own, Manchester United have seemingly taken the first step towards signing Felix. Following the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo - who had his contract mutually terminated last month - Erik ten Hag is in need of a forward himself.
The irony in this for Ronaldo is that his former agent Jorge Mendes is heavily involved once more after Relevo report that he met with Atletico CEO Marin to broker a deal for his client in Madrid on Thursday. It is said that the Red Devils have stepped up their attempts to sign Felix and that progress has been made with a potential payment structure sorted too.
Felix's large wages and a hefty loan fee could see it cost €21million (£18.5million) for just six months of action, which is said to have put Arsenal and Chelsea off making initial moves. There is also the question of whether there would be an option to buy, an obligation to buy and how much that would be set at due to his long contract and previous price.
Mendes has reportedly helped move those costs down though with a £4million fee plus wages on the table from United, though Atletico are still chasing something much more lucrative in order to let him go. The Premier League sides may be able to put some weight on the relationship between Felix and Simeone moving forward though after Marin admitted in December: "Joao Felix has top level but because of his relationship with Simeone and game time… we feel that makes sense to consider potential bids to sell him."
Simeone has downplayed this though, saying: "It’s a good, working relationship. Since I’ve been at the club I’ve never stopped, beyond some differences that exist between people, and we can’t agree on everything, looking to do the best by the club, until the last day whether it’s me or the footballers. [It’s about] Giving everyone’s maximum.
"What matters to me is the team and he is important to the team. If he shows us what we saw in the World Cup, he will be very important. He has the conditions and talent and the team needs his qualities."
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