Arsenal are expected to nudge ahead of Manchester United in the race for Joao Felix, with the Gunners poised to 'step up their interest' in the Atletico Madrid forward in the coming days.
Both Arsenal and United have been touted as potential destinations for Felix, whose relationship with Atletico boss Diego Simeone has deteriorated in recent months. As a result, the Portuguese forward, 23, is expected to leave the LaLiga giants on loan in the winter transfer window.
Atletico are believed to demanding a £16million package for Felix, consisting of a £13m loan fee and his £3m wages. And while that is currently too rich for Manchester United, it has not deterred Arsenal, who are determined to acquire attacking reinforcements in January.
According to The Telegraph, Arsenal are planning to ramp up their efforts to land Felix in the coming days as they also attempt to thrash out a deal with Shakhtar Donetsk for their top January target, Mykhaylo Mudryk.
But while Arsenal face stiff competition from Chelsea in their bid to land the Ukrainian winger, striking a temporary deal for Felix could prove to be far more straightforward if they are willing to meet Atletico's term.
With Arsenal currently five points clear at the summit of the Premier League, joining Mikel Arteta's side would be a more attractive proposition for Felix rather than linking up with Manchester United - especially as the forward revealed he supported one of United's biggest rivals last year.
In an interview with Adri Contreras in November, Felix revealed that he supports Leeds: a team who contest a fierce rivalry with United. Whether or not Felix's allegiance would be enough to deter him from moving to Old Trafford, however, remains to be seen.
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If Arsenal are successful in getting a deal for Felix over the line this month, then they will be acquiring a player who was considered to be one of Europe's hottest prospects just a few years ago.
Atletico Madrid made Felix the fifth most expensive player in football history when they splashed out £113m for his services back in the summer of 2019. The former Benfica star has gone on to plunder 34 goals in 130 appearances for the club but his long-term future could lie elsewhere after falling out of favour with Simeone.
Felix's agent, Jorge Mendes, held a meeting with Atletico Madrid CEO Miguel Angel Gil Marin at a restaurant in Madrid in a bid to accelerate an exit for his client.
It has been reported by various outlets that Manchester United have, in fact, now tabled an opening offer for Felix, however, they are only willing to stump up a €4m (£3.5m) loan fee, which is unlikely to be deemed as acceptable by the Atletico hierarchy.
