Arsenal have been boosted in their pursuit of Joao Felix after he was mysteriously left out of the Atlético Madrid squad.
What’s the story?
Well, the Gunners have already held talks with the Spanish giants over a deal for Felix – according to the Daily Mail.
Discussions came after Gil Martin – Chief Executive Officer at the Wanda Metropolitano – publicly put the Portugal international up for sale, as he and Diego Simeone struggled to work productively together.
Fabrizio Romano quotes the 59-year-old as saying: “Joao Felix is top level but because of his relationship with Simeone and game time, we feel that it makes sense to consider potential bids to sell him.”
Now, Simeone has added fuel to the fire after leaving Felix out of his 25-man squad for the Copa del Rey clash against Real Oviedo.
Atlético Madrid won 2-0 without the Arsenal target in their squad, as Antoine Griezmann and Alvaro Morata were chosen to lead the line.
There has been no mention of any injury for Felix – therefore, his exclusion from the squad could suggest that an exit is imminent.
So far this season, the 23-year-old has scored five goals, while also providing three assists, in 19 appearances.
Arsenal have great chance of signing Felix
In our view, this is a deal Mikel Arteta and Edu can complete fairly easily – albeit on loan initially.
Atlético Madrid have demanded €100m (£88m) for their No.7 having spent £113m to sign him from Benfica in 2019, although Arsenal are supposedly able to complete a loan deal for £8m.
According to The Athletic, Felix remains in regular contact with Thomas Partey, who he played with at the Wanda Metropolitano.
The Athletic add that those on the recruitment team at the Emirates Stadium view the Portuguese forward as an excellent January signing.
Be sure to keep an eye on this situation, as we expect Felix to leave Atlético Madrid this month.
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