Arsenal and Man United are interested in Felix
João Felix may be denied the chance to leave Atlético Madrid in the January transfer window as they prepare to ask for a sizeable loan fee.
Felix has been linked with a move away from the Wanda Metropolitano following a breakdown in relationships with Diego Simeone with the club’s hierarchy seemingly siding with the manager after saying it would be “reasonable” to see Felix leave.
“The reasonable thing is to think he (João Felix) will leave. Although I would love him to stay, that is not the player’s idea,” chief executive Miguel Angel Gil Marin said last month.
The Portugal international joined Atlético in a club-record £113m deal in 2019 but has failed to adapt to the style of play and now finally looks set to depart.
Aware that they will make a loss on what they paid, the Spanish side are keen to recoup as much as possible and are reportedly demanding a loan fee of £13m, on top of the £5.3m in wages that the loan club would have to pay, as per The Athletic.
Arsenal and Manchester United are said to be two of the clubs interested in signing Felix, however those demands could well put them off and leave them to focus on targets elsewhere.
Despite his troubles, the former Benfica man has still shown some signs of the talent he possesses, scoring 34 goals and registering 18 assists in 130 games for the club.
Atlético have also only won one trophy since then – the 2020/2021 LaLiga title – but even during that season, there was signs of tension between the two.
In March of that season, Simeone said: “Talent is not enough, it needs the personality and drive to back it up.”
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