Manchester United are reportedly still interested in signing Joao Felix from Chelsea on a permanent deal, despite being priced out of a move for the forward in January. The Portuguese attacker has impressed in his loan spell at Chelsea from Atletico Madrid, scoring twice in the Premier League, including in last weekend’s 2-2 draw against Everton. Atletico are keen to secure a permanent deal for Felix in the summer, but Chelsea are still weighing up whether or not to turn his loan spell into a permanent move, with Atletico’s £80m asking price proving to be a stumbling block.
United had looked into the possibility of signing Felix in the January window but were put off by Atletico’s massive demands, with Chelsea agreeing to pay a loan fee of around £10m as well as taking on his mammoth wages. However, Spanish newspaper AS claim that the Red Devils could return with a fresh offer for Felix in the summer, as they have continued to monitor his performances for Chelsea.
There is a feeling that Atletico might be more open to negotiate in the summer than they were in the winter, but that £80m price tag could also prove to be too steep for United, especially with Erik ten Hag favouring a move for a proven, elite goalscorer. United are currently being linked with moves for Tottenham contract rebel Harry Kane and Serie A top scorer Victor Osimhen, both of whom are more out-and-out, goalscoring forwards.
Graham Potter has been very happy with Felix’s impact and performances, though there is a feeling that such a massive outlay might be better spent on a more orthodox number nine. Potter spoke glowingly about Felix earlier this month, saying: ‘Well we’re really happy with him – provided he’s not tackling anybody on the half-way line! His quality is clear, in terms of: he can receive the ball in tight spaces, makes things happen from an attacking perspective. I think he’s hit the bar twice, scored as well and had some other chances. So he’s got that quality as well to finish. The fact that he can play in a few positions is good. We’ve tended to use him more centrally but he has the ability to play pretty much anywhere in the attacking phase of the game.’
In conclusion, Manchester United are still interested in signing Joao Felix from Chelsea on a permanent deal, but Atletico’s £80m asking price could prove to be too steep for the Red Devils. They are currently being linked with moves for Tottenham contract rebel Harry Kane and Serie A top scorer Victor Osimhen, both of whom are more out-and-out, goalscoring forwards. It remains to be seen whether United will make a fresh move for Felix in the summer or pursue other targets.