Arsenal reportedly hold an interest in Atletico Madrid’s Joao Felix and could be handed considerable encouragement of a deal sooner rather than later.
According to El Chiringuito journalist Eduardo Inda, the Gunners are eyeing the Portuguese starlet ahead of a potential summer move.
He said: “Joao Félix is a very good player. Arsenal want him.”
However, there appears to be a significant problem in tempting his current employers to sell and that is their apparent hope in recouping the majority of the £114m fee that they paid Benfica to secure his services in 2019.
Whilst the Gunners could potentially stump-up a considerable fee, it appears unlikely that they would be willing to pay an amount close to what would be double the club record transfer fee that they paid for Nicolas Pepe.
Arsenal could potentially be helped in their efforts to sign Felix with Diego Simeone’s eyes already apparently set on a replacement for Felix.
According to the original reports, the Argentine is interested in his striker’s compatriot Goncalo Guedes, who is currently plying his trade with La Liga rivals Valencia.
His contract is set to expire in 2023 so it appears likely that his current employers would have to sell this summer to avoid losing him for free.
Should Atletico then follow-up their initial interest in the 25-year-old, then it would appear likely that Felix would be allowed to wave goodbye to the Wanda Metropolitano.
That then could give Arsenal the perfect opportunity to seal his services and add a much-needed striker to their squad ahead of next season with both Eddie Nketiah and Alexandre Lacazette expected to wave goodbye to the club as their respective deals come to an end.
Felix could certainly be the man to fill that vacancy having displayed his productivity and promise during his final season with Benfica having netted 20 goals and notched 11 assists in his first season in the first team.
He hasn’t quite been able to match those numbers with Atleti with just 23 strikes in 100 appearances in all competitions with just four of those coming this season.
At the age of 22, time is still on his side though and some will certainly hope that he manages to return to his top form should he complete a move to the Emirates Stadium this summer.
