Arsenal are stepping up their efforts to wrap up a loan deal for Atletico Madrid forward Joao Felix in January.
As per a report in Mirror, Arsenal have entered the race for Atletico Madrid’s Joao Felix and have submitted a request for the player. The Gunners will likely have a busy winter transfer window as they will try to plug their loopholes for the rest of the season.
Felix has fallen in the pecking order at Wanda Metropolitano and could be the first casualty as Atletico are eyeing some fresh reinforcements as a part of their rebuilding plan. Felix hasn’t hit the desired peak since his much-hyped transfer from Benfica in 2019 and Diego Simeone feels it is perhaps the right time to part ways with the player.
But no club is ready to pay the quoted amount and the Spanish giants are prepared to offload him on a temporary basis. But their demand of an exorbitant £13 million loan fee has been blocking the move.
Manchester United remained his primary suitor but Atletico’s absurd demand has kept them at a distance. Arsenal will have a round of further talks in a bid to negotiate the loan fee and bring it down to some extent.
They are in pole position to secure the service of Shakhtar Donetsk winger Mykhaylo Mudryk but Arteta wants to have several options at his disposal as Gabriel Jesus’ injury has left them reeling on the edge.
Felix’s whopping £250,000 wage should not be a problem for the Gunners who have maintained a steady course this season. The Premier League table toppers have been very cautious while dealing with the squad depth as any mishap would derail the momentum.
Felix’s agent Jorge Mendes has already offered his client to a number of European sides and he will be pushing for a transfer for his client. Atletico haven’t softened their stance yet but their financial situation will not allow them to have much leverage.
Their awful Champions League run hasn’t helped them much and they will be forced to balance their books by selling a couple of players.
The time Felix will need to adapt to our game will be the unknown factor.
May be Jesus will be back when Felix will be ready.
So paying that kind of money for 5 months loan does not make sense.
For me its avwaste of time and money.