Man Utd ready to make Joao Felix U-turn

Tom Hancock

• Updated: 24 Mar 2023 17:02 GMT
• 3 min read

Manchester United are poised to swoop for Joao Felix this summer – if Chelsea decide against making his loan switch from Atletico Madrid permanent.

Felix moved to Stamford Bridge as part of the Blues’ lavish winter spending spree, but Man Utd have previously held an interest in the 23-year-old forward.

Reportedly valued at just over €90m by Atletico, Felix became one of the most expensive players of all time when he signed from Benfica for a whopping €126m four years ago.

READ: Rashford stalls on new Man Utd deal amid takeover fears

Felix’s Chelsea spell could hardly have got off to a worse start – he was shown a straight red card less than an hour into his debut against Fulham – but the 29-cap Portugal international has ultimately settled nicely, scoring twice for Graham Potter’s side so far.

However, the Blues are said to remain undecided on whether or not to buy Felix this summer – not that his rumoured price tag is likely to deter a club who splashed out €121m on Enzo Fernandez in January.

And, according to Spanish outlet AS, Man Utd may make an approach for Felix during the next transfer window – when Erik ten Hag will be hoping to assemble a squad ready for Champions League football.

Felix won't be first on the list

Regardless of whether Felix becomes a realistic target for Man Utd, though, their number one summer priority will be to secure the services of a new out-and-out number nine.

Harry Kane and Victor Osimhen have both been touted as potential options, and neither would come remotely cheap.

That said, Man Utd’s spending power this summer may well depend on whether or not a takeover of the club goes through by then – although no interested party has yet met the Glazer family’s reported €6.8bn valuation of the club.