‘Arsenal lead final sprint to sign Joao Felix’

Robin Bairner

• Updated: 23 May 2023 09:00 CDT
• 3 min read

Arsenal are “very well placed” to sign Atletico Madrid star Joao Felix in the January transfer window, according to a report from Spain.

The young attacker has impressed at World Cup 2022 with Portugal, having found himself a peripheral figure at Atleti under Diego Simeone at times this season.

Felix has been linked with a string of Premier League teams, with Manchester United notably thought to have taken an interest in him following the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo from the club by mutual agreement. Indeed, FootballTransfers reported that Old Trafford is Felix's preferred option, with Newcastle also interested in the player.

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Meanwhile, the Sunday Mirror reports that Jorge Mendes is set to hold talks with the St James’ Park side over the possibility of a deal.

Chelsea have been mooted as another potential option, while Aston Villa have emerged as wildcard contenders to sign the former Benfica youngster.

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Arsenal in pole position

Marca, though, report that Arsenal “lead the final sprint” to sign the 23-year-old, who joined Atleti for €126 million in 2019.

The report, though, is a surprising one given Arsenal’s budget during the January transfer window was previously thought to be around €58 million (£50m).

Indeed, it had been suggested that Shakhtar Donetsk winger Mykhailo Mudryk was their primary target for a transfer at this point, and even his asking price, which is thought to be around €40m, was pushing their budget.

Atletico Madrid’s demands for Joao Felix, meanwhile, are considerably higher. Invariably, Joao Felix’s price tag is reported to be €100m or more.

A deal, though, may be possible if Atleti were open to a loan move with an obligation to buy. This might not be possible for Arsenal over the course of a six-month loan, but if that period was extended to 18 months, it would appear to be a more plausible solution. Still, it would represent a club-record fee and something of a gamble on a player who has not excelled in recent months.

Despite the reports from Spain, it appears that the scramble to sign Joao Felix is far from over.