Pep Guardiola’s Premier League champions Manchester City are one of the clubs who have been tipped to sign Benfica starlet Joao Felix.
Reported Manchester City target Joao Felix is better than Bernardo Silva was at the same age. At least, that is according to Portuguese manager Carlos Carvalhal with the former Sheffield Wednesday and Swansea boss raving about the 19-year-old in an interview with the BBC.
Felix is arguably the most coveted teenager anywhere in European football right now despite a well publicised £106 million release clause in his contract at Primeira Liga champions Benfica.
A hugely talented number ten, Felix scored 20 goals and produced 11 assists during a sensational breakthrough campaign as Benfica wrestled the title back from their domestic rivals Porto.
Unsurprisingly, City have been heavily linked with Felix with Goal reporting recently that the Premier League winners sent director Txiki Begiristain to watch him in action during Benfica’s Europa League quarter-final against Eintracht Frankfurt.
Felix scored a hat-trick in the first leg, becoming the youngest player to hit a Europea League treble since a certain Sergio Aguero.
And Carvalhal believes that, if City get their man, they will discover a player who is on track to become a world star far quicker than Bernardo Silva.
“Bernardo Silva is one of the best players in the world at this moment,” former Swansea boss Carlos Carvalhal told BBC Sport.
“But at 19, he did not show the talent that Felix is showing in this moment at 19 – so imagine what kind of player we are talking about.”
It remains to be seen, however, whether City are willing to pay a club record £106 million for a player who has just one season of senior football under his belt.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
