Four Man Utd alternatives for rip-off Joao Felix

Robin Bairner

• 2 Dec 2022 12:37 GMT
• 4 min read

Manchester United are among the clubs that have been quoted an astonishing €100 million asking price for Atletico Madrid forward Joao Felix.

Few will see such a figure as value for money, with the young Portugal international having struggled to live up to his €126 million transfer fee after he joined Diego Simeone’s side from Benfica in 2019.

There is little doubt that Felix remains a player of remarkable potential, but gambling such a sum on a player who has scored only 33 times in 129 appearances for Los Colchoneros would be reckless.

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Indeed, FootballTransfers only values Joao Felix at €34m, with his peak valuation striking €82m in January 2021.

Felix is rather unique in terms of his skillset but there are other options out there for Erik ten Hag’s side who could fulfil a similar function. Here are four of them:

Marcos Leonardo – Santos

A 19-year-old Brazilian, Marcos Leonardo has had something of a breakout season with Santos in Brazil. He has scored 13 goals in 35 appearances – roughly once every 200 minutes he’s been on the field – and has chipped in six assists in all competitions.

He is a quick player whose strengths lie in his crossing, dribbling and his offensive positioning, though he lacks stamina for now.

An option for the future but his ceiling is a high one.

Elye Wahi – Montpellier

There is a lot of excitement in France over the potential of wide attacker Elye Wahi, who has been a breakout player for Montpellier over the course of the last year. He has been particularly strong at the start of the present season, scoring six goals in 14 Ligue 1 matches, putting him among the division’s leading marksmen.

Although he is a hard-working player who possesses a solid all-round game, he is another who needs to work on his stamina.

Memphis Depay – Barcelona

Memphis has been linked with a return to Old Trafford, with the Barcelona forward struggling to find game time at Camp Nou. He is a player who, at 28, has matured since his previous spell at Man Utd ended in 2016. His performances have been in serious decline since moving to Barcelona and his past history at the Red Devils suggests a deal for the 28-year-old might be an unnecessary gamble.

Odsonne Edouard – Crystal Palace

If Marcos Leonardo and Elye Wahi are too young, and Memphis Depay is too old, Edouard may represent an attractive halfway house. At 24, there is scope for an improvement in his game, but he is presently performing to a good standard with Crystal Palace. He is most suited to playing a centre-forward role, where he excels at bringing others into play as opposed to necessarily scoring himself. Could unlock the potential of others around him, like Jadon Sancho, for example.