Manchester United giving serious consideration to summer swoop for Chelsea star
The Portuguese attacker has impressed in bursts since moving to west London on loan from Atletico Madrid in January, netting twice in the Premier League – most recently in last weekend’s 2-2 draw against Everton.
Atleti are keen to secure a permanent deal for Felix in the summer, with the forward having an uneasy relationship with manager Diego Simeone.
The team have also performed excellently since Felix left and are unbeaten in La Liga since his last appearance, dropping just four points in that time and netting 18 goals.
Chelsea are still weighing up whether or not to turn the 23-year-old’s loan spell into a permanent move, with Atletico’s £80million asking price a massive stumbling block.
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.
United had also 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.
But now Spanish newspaper AS claim the Red Devils could return with a fresh offer for Felix in the summer.
The Red Devils never dropped their interest and have continued to monitor his performances for Chelsea, while there is a feeling that Atletico might be more open to negotiate in the summer than they were in the winter.
However, 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 the likes of Tottenham contract rebel Harry Kane and Serie A top scorer Victor Osimhen, both of whom are more out-and-out, goalscoring forwards.
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.’
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