In the summer of 2019, Atletico Madrid and Diego Simeone completed the most unlikely signing. Having spent sensibly, sold key players and been run sustainably for almost a decade, the club decided to imitate Barcelona by signing Joao Felix from Benfica for £114m.
To put that into perspective, the club have only ever spent above £35m on a single player three times in their history, and Felix’s fee almost doubles that of the second highest transfer fee paid for Thomas Lemar. We aren’t quite sure what came over the sensible Simeone back in 2019, but that money they received from Barca for Antoine Griezmann was burning a hole in his pocket and he wanted a replacement.
Turns out Atleti swindled the Catalan club with that deal and the Frenchman would return to the Spanish capital this summer for a fraction of the price. So now, given Griezmann has turned out to be his own replacement at the Wanda Metropolitano, the club are looking to make some money back on that hefty investment.
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The 23-year-old is still one of Europe’s hottest prospects, but as predicted by many, hasn’t seen eye-to-eye with Simeone. The passionate Argentine manager places huge demands on his players and it appears to have caused a falling out between Felix and Simeone. He has played regularly this term, but returned just three goals and three assists in 12 La Liga matches and now it appears the manager wants to move him out of the club on loan in the January window.
We saw glimpses of how good the Portuguese star can be during the World Cup. Although his side exited at the quarter-final stage to Morocco, he scored once and bagged two assists in one of the most exciting attacks at the tournament. After the 6-1 win over Switzerland, he hinted at his unhappiness in Madrid.
“The way you play here and at the club are different," he said. "When the conditions are favourable, things go better."
Now, it seems Premier League clubs are queueing up to offer him those favourable conditions. Atleti want £8m for a six month loan, as well as the £5.3m of salary it will cost to pay his wages over that time period. It’s an expensive loan deal, one that Atleti will be hoping to pull off, but if it paves the way for a permanent transfer, it could be well worth the money.
Even if it is just a loan, it could also be a sound investment, although it is a gamble. The two main contenders, Manchester United and Arsenal should both be going all out to make this happen. For United, their decision to sack Cristiano Ronaldo has left them in need of a striker but the wages they have saved could easily pay for Felix. Given Champions League qualification is worth £15m to every team in the group stage, the potential new Portuguese star at Old Trafford could easily pay for himself in six months time.
Other Champions League contenders such as Chelsea could use the same logic, although their need for a forward is not as great as United’s. Meanwhile, for the Gunners, Champions League football is looking like a certainty next season. Mikel Arteta has worked wonders, but Gabriel Jesus’ injury has put them back in the market for a short-term replacement.
Felix fits the bill perfectly, especially when you consider the brand of football Arteta has implemented so well at the Emirates this term. He would be a wonderful Jesus replacement, and then the two could compliment each other once the Brazilian returned to full fitness.
Arsenal currently, despite their lofty position, don’t look like they have the squad depth to beat Manchester City to the Premier League title. A signing like Joao Felix, even for the short-term, would make perfect sense for both them and Manchester United.
