Atletico Madrid president Enrique Cerezo has hinted that Manchester United linked-Joao Felix could stay at the Spanish club beyond the end of this month's transfer window.
Felix, who scored one goal and grabbed two assists at the World Cup in Qatar for Portugal, has been heavily linked with a potential loan move to United over the last few weeks. The Reds are determined to strengthen their attacking options this month and Felix has been regularly considered as a possible option.
The 23-year-old, who has also been strongly linked with a move to Arsenal, has not earned as many opportunities at Atletico this season as he would have liked. He has made 19 appearances in all competitions, but many of them have come via the substitutes bench, meaning he has often had the task of impacting games in a cameo role.
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He joined the Spanish giants from Benfica in July 2019 for an eye-watering £113million fee, making him one of the most expensive players of all-time, but has failed to have the impact he would have liked, leading to speculation about his future at the club this month. However, Cerezo has suggested he could still have a part to play, though nothing can be ruled out.
The Atletico president said: "Nothing is impossible in life, but the normal thing is that Joao Felix stays at Atletico Madrid."
Felix, who has scored just 34 goals in 130 appearances for the club, is understood to have developed a frosty relationship with Atletico boss Diego Simeone, so much so that, last month, Atletico CEO Miguel Angel Gil Marin admitted that the Spanish club would consider letting Felix leave in January.
He told TVE: "For reasons it isn't worth getting into – the relationship between him and the boss [Simeone], the minutes played, his motivation right now… It makes you think if there's a reasonable option that’s good for the player, good for the club, we can look at it. I'd love for Joao to continue, but this is the current situation."
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