Exclusive: Transfer expert provides update on Man United’s pursuit of Joao Felix
Man United’s search for a new striker continues having missed out on Cody Gakpo but a deal for Atletico Madrid’s Joao Felix could drag on until the end of the window says transfer expert Ben Jacobs. Watching Cody Gakpo move to Liverpool was a blow for Erik ten Hag as the Man United manager wanted the […]
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Man United’s search for a new striker continues having missed out on Cody Gakpo but a deal for Atletico Madrid’s Joao Felix could drag on until the end of the window says transfer expert Ben Jacobs.
Watching Cody Gakpo move to Liverpool was a blow for Erik ten Hag as the Man United manager wanted the Dutch player. The Manchester club started a dialogue on the player’s side to get a full buy-in but in the end, they didn’t make a move for the 23-year-old states Ben Jacobs in his exclusive CaughtOffside column.
That has left United to search elsewhere for a new frontman and the transfer expert says that the Premier League giants want someone who can weigh in with goals and assists, so it’s just about if they want someone like that and a traditional number 9, or just a traditional number 9.
Joao Felix is a player who fits that profile but a move for the Portuguese international could be difficult as Atletico are willing to play hardball.
Speaking about Felix’s situation regarding a January move away from Atletico Madrid, Ben Jacobs has stated: “United have had a dialogue with representatives of Joao Felix, as well as Arsenal and Chelsea.
“At the moment, none of the suitors see value in the deal unless Atletico Madrid’s huge loan fee is reduced, and his wages of £5.3million a year. So far there’s no give from Atletico, meaning no openness to a permanent deal or just a reduction in the cost of a loan. They want to have their cake and eat it – they want him off their books, his relationship with Diego Simeone has been difficult and he’s clearly not playing to his full potential, but at the same time, if there’s no option to buy it gives them the opportunity to bring him back and assess his situation again in the future.”
The transfer expert continues: “The Premier League is still Felix’s most likely destination, though, and the price is likely to come down towards the end of the transfer window, for two reasons. Firstly, even if the wages are still the same, January is out of the way, so it ends up costing a little less if you sign him right at the end, rather than on January 1st. The monthly cost is still the same, it’s just one month less. Another scenario is that Atletico realise they need to offload Felix, to get his wages off their books, but they’ll be more flexible on the loan fee. We’ll wait and see how it progresses but it wouldn’t surprise me if this one drags out a bit until the end of the window.
“One final thing to say on Felix is that you can’t rule out someone simply trying for a permanent deal. The price is high, though, and that’s not something Atletico are offering at the moment, but let’s see if clubs think there’s more value in that than a loan deal. It’s a very fluid situation.”
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