Chelsea are closing in on a move for Atletico Madrid forward Joao Felix, who has also been linked with the likes of Arsenal and Manchester United.
Although a deal is yet to be finalised for the 23-year-old, football.london reported yesterday that the Blues were close to signing Felix on a loan deal until the end of the season. The news may come as a blow to Arsenal and United considering both Premier League sides are in need of attacking reinforcements but transfer guru Fabrizio Romano has now explained why the Gunners didn't prioritise a move for the Portuguese international.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Romano said: “The feeling around Arsenal was they wanted to focus on Mudryk. The priority was, and is, Mykhailo Mudryk, he is the player they want to sign.
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“They keep in contact with Shakhtar Donetsk, so for Arsenal, the main focus is Mudryk.
"They had conversations with Joao Felix, but they don’t want to spend around €15-16m plus taxes for the Joao Felix loan deal, so the focus is on Mykhailo Mudryk.” football.london reported last month that Shakhtar rejected Arsenal's opening offer of around £55 million for Mudryk's services but that doesn't seem to have ended the Gunners' interest.
The 22-year-old has established himself as one of Europe's most exciting wingers over the last few months, netting two goals and providing a further three assists in just six UEFA Champions League outings this season.
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