Manchester United have been dealt a double blow in their pursuit of Atletico Madrid star Joao Felix, with financial obstacles threatening to scupper the move.
The Portugal forward is in line for a move away from the Spanish capital in January, initially on loan. He has fallen out of favour with manager Diego Simeone just three years after completing a £113milion move to the Wanda Metropolitano, and dropped out of Simeone's first team before the World Cup.
United are among a number of Premier League teams in the mix for the former Benfica man, but appear to be at odds with Atleti over the financial aspect of a deal. If Erik ten Hag's side are unable to agree terms, the likes of Arsenal and Chelsea could yet pounce for a man who was a regular for his country in Qatar.
According to The Times, Atletico want an £8m loan fee for Felix, while also expecting any suitor to cover the 23-year-old's wages for the remainder of the season. This would represent a significant outlay for a temporary signing, and United are not believed to be prepared to meet those demands.
Erik ten Hag's side were among the Premier League's biggest spenders over the summer, spending more than £200m on the likes of Antony, Casemiro and Lisandro Martinez. Significant further funds are not expected to be available in January, and United have already missed out on former target Cody Gakpo.
Dutch international was monitored by United throughout the summer, only for Ten Hag to instead opt for a reunion with former Ajax star Antony. Gakpo has now moved to Liverpool, with the Merseyside club confirming the move which is understood to be worth an initial £37m plus add-ons.
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Ten Hag has reportedly expressed his disappointment privately after United were beaten to the punch on Gakpo. The Dutch coach is still after attacking reinforcements after the Red Devils terminated the contract of last season's top scorer Cristiano Ronaldo in November.
United have won two games out of two since returning from the World Cup, with Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial both on target in a 3-0 league win against Nottingham Forest and Rashford also netting in a League Cup victory over Burnley. Despite his forwards finding form, though, Ten Hag made it clear the club are still looking for new additions.
"We are always in the market," Ten Hag said on Amazon Prime Video after the Forest game. "We do what we can. I don't talk about individual cases. We are looking for a striker, it would be good with so many games coming. We want to stay in all the leagues we are in. So you need numbers."
