Manchester United will have to cough up a whopping €120 million to bring in Portugal World Cup star Joao Felix to Old Trafford in 2023.
According to transfer guru Fabrizio Romano, via his exclusive CaughtOffside column on Substack, Manchester United will have to fork out a staggering €120 million if they want to acquire the services of Atletico Madrid and Portugal attacker, Joao Felix.
The well-known journalist adds that Felix dreams of playing in the Premier League, which comes as music to the ears of Old Trafford faithful.
Felix has enjoyed a superb World Cup campaign in Qatar so far, putting himself firmly in the shop window with the January transfer window now just weeks away. He has been a valuable asset for Portugal and has been involved in a number of goals. The young attacking midfielder has even bagged a goal and two assists on the biggest stage.
While the 23-year-old continues to grab headlines with his stellar performances for Portugal, it has been a whole different story at the club level under Diego Simeone. He has only made eight starts and nine substitute appearances this season, with a mere tally of three goals to his name.
It’s safe to say the versatile attacker has yet to fulfil the attacking potential that many believe he possesses since moving from Benfica to the La Liga side. He has scored 33 goals and provided 18 assists in 129 appearances across all competitions for Los Rojiblancos.
If anything, his output has stagnated in an offensive sense with no progress whatsoever, having contributed 20 goals and 11 assists in 43 appearances at the senior level for Benfica prior to his move to Spain.
As a consequence of his strained relationship with current boss Simeone, Felix wants out of the Spanish club, while Los Colchoneros appear ready to part ways with the young forward, with Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester United, and Bayern Munich among the teams reportedly interested in the Portugal international.
Manchester United, for one, have been long-term admirers of the 23-year-old ever since his Benfica days and also failed with a €130 million bid in the last transfer window.
Atletico are now prepared to sell him for around €100-120 million mark. The Red Devils have the golden chance to land the world-class talent in January, but face stiff competition from the likes of Aston Villa, Bayern Munich, and Paris Saint-Germain for his signature.
The big question now is whether Erik ten Hag will be backed with substantial funds in January. The Dutch head coach has made it the club’s priority to sign €58 million-rated Cody Gakpo from PSV Eindhoven this winter as a replacement for Cristiano Ronaldo, who has recently been released by the club off the back of that controversial interview.
It would be a big statement of intent if United can also prise Felix away from the clutches of Atletico in January. On paper, it remains a pipe dream, with United owners the Glazers unlikely to push the boat out and splash the cash, especially when they have put the club up for sale.
