Arsenal are interested in sealing a transfer for Joao Felix as Mikel Arteta bids to refresh the Emirates Stadium attack, with Atletico Madrid now ready to take a hit on the fee they paid.
That’s according to football.london, who cite Felix as one of the centre-forwards Arteta and technical director Edu are tracking. The Gunners want to sign two attackers this off-season to replace Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, plus likely Eddie Nketiah and Alexandre Lacazette.
Arteta agreed to release Aubameyang in January to join Barcelona after the Gabon forward fell out of favour at Arsenal. He had also stripped the striker of the club’s captaincy over his disciplinary breach in December. While Nketiah and Lacazette are out of contract this June.
Felix sits on Arsenal’s radar for striker transfers as the Portuguese has struggled for form at Atletico Madrid this season. So, the Colchoneros are now ready to take a hit on the £113m they paid Benfica in 2019 to make him the second-most expensive teenager in the world.
Atleti hope to recoup some, if not all, of the funds spent to acquire the now 22-year-old. He remains under contract at the Wanda Metropolitano to 2026, having penned a seven-year contract worth £154k-a-week. But his form will impact what sort of demands they can set.
Arsenal keen on Joao Felix deal with Atletico Madrid ready to take hit on fee
Felix has seven goals and offered five assists in 27 appearances so far this season under Diego Simeone. But he has only started 15 and has offered five goals and three assists in 19 La Liga games. Three of his goals and two assists have also come since January.
Only his three efforts against Real Betis also came against a side competing for a European place. He netted a brace at the Benito Villamarin on Sunday to help toward a 3-1 away win.
Arsenal clearly believe in the potential Felix still has to offer as they now consider a transfer for the Atletico Madrid forward. The Independent’s Miguel Delaney also reported recently that intermediaries offered the 20-cap international to the Gunners ahead of the summer.
One concern Arteta and Edu may have on spending big to bring Felix to the Premier League is his physicality, however. Colchoneros president Enrique Cerezo noted last month that he spends far too much time on the ground to demonstrate his potential to its maximum level.
“Joao is a magnificent footballer,” Cerezo said, via AS. “One of the best in the league and in Europe and he tries to prove it. But for one reason or another, he is always on the ground.”
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