West Ham United were reportedly in talks to sign Benfica wonder-kid Joao Felix last summer but now he is Atletico Madrid bound.
It seems only a matter of time before Joao Felix becomes part of a very exclusive club.
With Atletico Madrid making a club record bid for the Benfica wonderkid’s services, as reported by Goal, the 20-year-old looks set to join Philippe Coutinho, Neymar and Kylian Mbappe as one of football’s few £100 million-plus players.
In fact, Atleti are expected to pay £112 million for a player with just one season of first-team action under his belt.
This is a major coup for Atletico, given that most of the top clubs in European football have been chasing Felix since the turn of the year. But it must be remembered that, well before Felix became known as the ‘new Kaka’ or the biggest Portuguese talent since Cristiano Ronaldo, he was being linked with a move to West Ham.
Felix hadn’t even made his Primeira Liga debut when Sky claimed in August last year that he was in talks over a move to The Hammers.
And they must be kicking themselves now as a player who slipped through their grasp nears a £112 million switch after inspiring Benfica to the league title with a remarkable 20 goals from attacking midfield.
But even if West Ham did miss out, their scouting department deserves huge credit for unearthing a gem with such incredible potential months before he sparked a Europe-wide transfer tug-of-war.
It’s just a shame that they missed their chance to get the deal over the line.
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