Joao Felix's performance for Atletico Madrid against Manchester United served as a reminder of his quality, and the £113m man may have added a bit to his price tag with Arsenal reportedly interested.
The Portuguese international put Atleti in front at the Wanda Metropolitano as they chased a first-leg advantage over their Premier League opponents in the last 16 of the Champions League, only for Anthony Elanga to equalise 10 minutes from time.
Arsenal continue to be linked with the former Benfica star, whose time in Madrid has been hit-and-miss since he was brought in to replace Antoine Griezmann when the Frenchman moved to Barcelona in 2019.
It was the second goal in as many games for the 22-year-old, and talk of a sensational summer move to the Emirates Stadium isn't going away.
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Arsenal are facing a pivotal summer when it comes to their front-line with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang leaving for Barcelona in February without a replacement being secured.
Alexandre Lacazette and Eddie Nketiah are also approaching the end of their contracts, and Mikel Arteta is expected to look for attacking reinforcements.
According to El Chiringuito (via The Sun ), Joao Felix is one name on the list after the Gunners failed to land the likes of Dusan Vlahovic and Alexander Isak in January, though the fee being quoted would dwarf the record £72m the London side paid for Nicolas Pepe.
“Joao Felix is a very good player. Arsenal want him," journalist Eduardo Inda claimed.
“Simeone, if he continues, wants to bring [Valencia's Goncalo] Guedes. His objective is to change Felix for Guedes.
“The problem that Atletico has is that he cost 120million euros and recovering it is something that can only be done if he is sold to the Premier League.”
Joao Felix arrived in Spain after scoring 20 times in his debut season with Benfica, but it took him more than two years to match that tally for Atleti.
However, the way he took his opener on Wednesday, diving to head Renan Lodi's cross in off the post, showed he has an eye for a goal to go along with the skill and ball-carrying ability he has shown from out wide.
An underwhelming start to the season had seen the youngster linked with a move away, with Liverpool reportedly in the mix before they opted to bring Luis Diaz to Anfield, but he now has six goals for the season after failing to find the net in any of his first eight games of the campaign.
"[I'm] confident, the team trusts me, we know our value and we fight for a clear goal," Joao Felix said after the game, as reported by Marca.
He's unlikely to have done his transfer fee any damage if he does end up moving to north London over the summer, but at the same time he has shown Arsenal just what he might be able to offer them.
