According to Marca, Arsenal have now leapfrogged their rivals and are favourites to sign Atletico Madrid’s Joao Felix amid uncertainty over his future in Spain.
The 23-year-old is expected to leave the Wanda Metropolitano after an alleged falling out with manager Diego Simeone.
Felix has struggled for playing time this term, with Antoine Griezmann, Angel Correa, Matheus Cunha and Alvaro Morata also competing for minutes in the final third.
The Portuguese international has been heavily linked with a move away this winter and Marca claims that a host of clubs including Manchester United, Aston Villa, Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain are interested in acquiring his services.
However, the Spanish outlet says that Arsenal have now ‘taken the lead’ in the race to sign Felix. Mikel Arteta wants to bolster to his attack after Gabriel Jesus was forced to undergo surgery on a serious knee injury that he suffered while playing for Brazil at the World Cup.
The Brazilian, who joined the Gunners from Manchester City last summer, is expected to be out for several months, leaving the Premier League leaders short of attackers.
Reinforcement in attack
Felix joined Atletico Madrid from Benfica for a whopping €126 million (£112.9m) but is now valued at just £43m [€50m] by Transfermarkt following a disappointing 18 months in Spain.
He helped the Lisbon side win the Portuguese league title with 15 goals and seven assists in 21 starts. He also became the youngest player to score a Europa League hat-trick in a 4-2 win over Eintracht Frankfurt.
Since leaving Portugal for Spain, Felix has netted 33 goals and provided 18 assists in 129 appearances for Atletico across all competitions – winning the 2020/21 La Liga title with Simeone’s side.
This is season, the Portugal international has amassed four goals and three assists from 18 outings, starting just three games in La Liga and a further three in the Champions League.
However, he was one of the standout players for his nation at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, helping them to reach the quarter-finals. He scored once and registered two assists in four appearances.
Arsenal believe Felix can replicate such inspired performance in the absence of Jesus as they go in search of an unexpected Premier League title.
As it stands, Eddie Nketiah is the only senior striker in Arsenal’s ranks, prompting Arteta to add depth in the attacking department ahead of the January transfer window.
Arsenal will have to make a huge offer to convince Atletico Madrid into selling him this window, but Felix would be an excellent signing if they could pull it off.
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