Reliable journalist David Ornstein has stated that Arsenal are keen on a January move for Atletico Madrid attacker Joao Felix, but the financial demands need to lower.
The Portugal international has courted a lot of interest after it was revealed that he was set to leave the club following an apparent fallout with manager Diego Simeone.
Felix moved to Atletico for around £113m in 2019 and the club may look to recoup most of that fee, but they are also reportedly willing to let him leave on loan if a fairly substantial loan fee can be negotiated and all of his wages are covered.
Speaking on NBC Soccer’s Premier League coverage, Ornstein revealed that the club are indeed interested in a deal, but not at his current asking price.
He said: “[Arsenal] are also keen to sign Joao Felix on loan from Atletico Madrid.
“He’s been offered to a number of clubs, and at the moment, the numbers are too high. Manchester United, Chelsea, many others [are interested].
“Jorge Mendes, his agent, knows he needs to move Joao Felix because he’s out of favour at Atletico Madrid, and Arsenal are keen to do it, but the numbers would need to come down for that to happen, and I think, probably, they will.
“It would only be a six-month loan, and that’s going to be very expensive – but he is a high-quality player.”
TIF Thoughts on Arsenal and Felix…
Arsenal star Gabriel Jesus is set to miss a significant spell with injury, and this may have prompted Mikel Arteta’s interest in Felix.
The attacker has scored 33 and assisted 18 goals in 129 appearances since his move from Benfica, but there was always a feeling that Felix, a technical attacking player, would not fit into Simeone’s more defensive style.
Given that Arsenal are five points clear at the top of the league, they may not want to waste such a good opportunity to win their first title since 2004, and they appear ready to splash the cash in January.
With Mykhaylo Mudryk from Shakhtar Donetsk also targeted, it is clear that Arteta wants to bolster his attack, and if Atletico lower their demands, they may yet actively pursue Felix to give them a further boost.