Manchester United are in a strong position to sign João Félix from Atlético Madrid this month, according to top-flight journalist David Ornstein and Dermot Corrigan.
Félix has asked to leave the Wanda Metropolitano after fighting with coach Diego Simeone.
Such is the situation that the club are willing to let the Portuguese international go on loan this month, but they have imposed a preventive price of 21 million euros on that loan, a huge amount for six months.
“The chance of the Spanish club recouping anything close to the €127m it paid to sign Joao Félix from Benfica in the summer of 2019 is small, given that their development has stalled under Simeone,” Ornstein says. and Corrigan in The Athletic.
“[Felix’s agent, Jorge] Mendes has been in contact with several English clubs to set out the possible terms of a loan until the summer.
“These initial talks have focused on a €21m package for the remainder of this season, with a €15m loan fee for Atlético and the remainder covering the player’s salary.
“Industry figures believe that [figure] it may drop, perhaps significantly, as the January transfer window progresses.
“Currently, it is believed that applicants are prepared to pay less than half the requested loan fee, plus salary.”
This puts the counter offer at €13.5m, or £11.7m, just over what United paid for six months of Odion Ighalo’s time in 2020.
The competition is said to be between United, Arsenal and Chelsea, with City “don’t think they’re interested” and Liverpool having signed Cody Gakpo.
However, Ornstein and Corrigan believe that Arsenal could be more in need and interested than United in making the deal happen.
They point out that the Gunners have little coverage on the front line, especially now given the injury to Gabriel Jesus.
They believe United are more interested in a traditional centre-forward style.
“Both United and Arsenal have expressed interest, but not at the level of funding that Atlético is looking for,” he continues.
“There was contact between the United and Atlético hierarchies about Joao Félix last summer. At the time, The Athletic was told that Atlético even turned down an offer from Old Trafford, amid reports in the Spanish press of a €135m price tag.
“However, ideally United would like to add a more traditional centre-forward, especially after the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo mid-season.
“The size of the current package is considered too expensive, even for a club with United’s resources.”
Chelsea are said to be in a similar position to United, namely interested in Felix but perhaps more eager to find a complete striker.
It seems unlikely that the situation will be resolved until closer to the end of the month. Meanwhile, United are likely to be exploring other options, reportedly including Borussia Dortmund’s Youssoufa Moukoko and Borussia Moenchengladbach’s Marcus Thuram.
If that sort of option doesn’t work out, or Atleti lower their loan fee demands, then United could be a strong contender for Felix’s signing in January. Whether that would become a permanent deal will likely depend on who will lead the club in June.
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