Manchester United are in the race to sign Atletico Madrid attacker Joao Felix this summer, according to Portuguese publication O Jogo (page 25).
The Red Devils were interested in signing Felix on loan during the January transfer window, but they were put off by the hefty demands of Atletico.
Felix recently admitted his dream of playing for Barcelona, but O Jogo claim that the Catalan giants have other priorities to attack before the season starts.
Blaugrana manager Xavi Hernandez is an admirer of Manchester City’s Bernardo Silva, and the Spanish outfit ‘don’t seem willing to go crazy’ for Felix.
United are also in the race to sign the 23-year-old, but the report does not specify anything else.
Man Utd link with Felix could be agent-driven
United have already signed midfielder Mason Mount and goalkeeper Andre Onana to bolster two key positions ahead of the forthcoming campaign.
They are now eyeing a marquee centre-forward and another midfielder. Atalanta’s Rasmus Hojlund and Fiorentina’s Sofyan Amrabat are the main targets.
Felix has been a long-term target for United, but we don’t see a deal happening this summer.
The £242,000-a-week star struggled during his expensive loan spell at Chelsea. The Blues spent £15 million on him, but he netted just four goals from 20 appearances.
Atletico prefer to send Felix on a season-long loan this summer, but the Spanish outfit could easily demand £25-30m to sanction his temporary exit.
In our view, United are unlikely to spend that much on a loan deal with the limited budget.
The speculation is probably agent-driven to attract more suitors for Felix. Jorge Mendes has the tendency to convey his thoughts through different publications.
Stats from Transfermarkt.com & Capology.com
