Bayern Munich reportedly had a bid rejected for Atletico Madrid attacker Joao Felix, a player Arsenal are also said to be interested in signing in the January transfer window.
According to Marca, the German giants tabled a €100m (£85m) offer to sign the Portuguese international following the departure of Rober Lewandowski to FC Barcelona. However, despite Felix’s issues at Atletico, the La Liga side rejected Bayern’s club-record offer to sign the 22-year-old.
The youngster has endured another difficult season under Diego Simeone, with Felix expected to leave Madrid in 2023 as the forward’s development continues to stall after his blockbuster move to Atletico back in 2019. And news of a huge bid from Bayern is the last thing Arsenal will want to be hearing.
Daily Star journalist Paul Brown recently told GiveMeSport that the Arsenal board are big fans of the ‘magnificent’ former Benfica star, with Felix a player who has seemingly been on the Gunners’ radar for quite some time. However, actually signing the Atletico star is another matter entirely.
With Atletico already rejecting an £85m bid from Bayern for Felix, Arsenal face quite the financial undertaking to sign the La Liga superstar in the coming months. Moreover, the German giants will now likely stop at nothing to land the 22-year-old attacking playmaker in 2023.
Indeed, Bayern are a club who are quite meticulous in their approach to transfers, and a move for Felix could soon become their priority in January following news of a rejected bid. Yet for Arsenal, missing out on the attacker wouldn’t be the end of the world for Mikel Arteta.
Bayern signing Felix will allow Arsenal to focus on more important problems
It would be an understatement to say that scoring goals has hardly been an issue for Arsenal this season, with the Gunners only behind Manchester City in the scoring charts this campaign in the Premier League. And should Bayern sign Felix, it will allow the north London side to focus on more pressing issues in the squad.
With central midfield still an area that Arsenal need to add depth to as well as a true backup for Bukayo Saka, Bayern signing Felix will seemingly stop the Gunners from pursuing a deal that hardly has to be made, with the Portuguese star seemingly a poor fit for Arteta’s project..
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