Man Utd given green light to pursue deal to sign Joao Felix

Manchester United have been given the green light to step-up their interest in Joao Felix after he was placed on the transfer list by Atletico Madrid, according to reports via TeamTalk.

Felix was once regarded as one of the best young players in world football and it was a major coup for Atletico when they signed him from Benfica in a huge £113m deal back in 2019.

However, the 22-year-old’s time in Madrid hasn’t worked out as planned and his relationship with manager Diego Simeone is reportedly broken beyond repair.

Felix has only started one of Atletico’s last eight La Liga games – a 2-1 defeat to Real Madrid – and his only two league goals came off the bench during a 3-2 defeat to Cadiz last weekend.

The Portuguese international’s best tally has been just eight La Liga goals which came back in the 2020/21 season and it’s clear he isn’t suited to Simeone’s style of play, so it’s no surprise he’s struggled to fulfil his potential.

It appears all parties are now ready to cut their losses as TeamTalk are citing a report from Cadena Ser that claims Atletico have placed Felix on the transfer list along with Thomas Lemar, Yannick Carrasco and Rodrigo de Paul.

The Spanish outlet says Atletico want to cash-in on the quartet to raise money to help fund a squad overhaul in January and to balance the books following their shock exit from the group stages of the Champions League.

Man Utd keen

Cadena Ser claims that Manchester United are ready to renew their interest in signing Felix after failing to land him back in the summer, but they aren’t prepared to resubmit the mega £108m [€125m] offer they put on the table just a few months ago.

Felix’s form has dropped off significantly this season and is only valued at £70m by Transfermarkt so Manchester United will be looking for a cut-price deal if they’re to buy the forward in January.

Erik ten Hag knows he needs to strengthen his frontline this winter as Man Utd have struggled in the final third all season and have managed to score just 17 Premier League goals so far this campaign.

Anthony Martial continues to have injury problems, Cristiano Ronaldo appears to have fallen out of favour under ten Hag and Marcus Rashford is yet to showcase himself as the regular goal-scorer United need.

Felix would be an excellent addition to ten Hag’s squad if Man Utd could lure him to Old Trafford as he’s a top class talent with huge potential. He’s also comfortable playing anywhere across the front-line so he’d give the Dutch coach a versatile option.

However, Manchester United may face stiff competition for his signature as the report says Bayern Munich are also keen on Felix as they look to add more firepower to their ranks following Robert Lewandowski’s summer exit.