Atletico Madrid News
Atletico Madrid star’s agent to hold fresh talks over exit, Arsenal, Man United keen
With the January transfer window open for business, the future of Atletico Madrid superstar Joao Felix could be sorted out in the coming days.
The Portuguese international is seeking an exit from the Civitas Metropolitano this winter after having had a falling out with manager Diego Simeone. Talks of an exit have been doing the rounds for months together now but there has been no actual movement as of yet.
Felix’s agent, Jorge Mendes, has been offering his client to clubs in the Premier League and has held talks with teams such as Arsenal and Manchester United in the recent past.
And now, according to Fabrizio Romano, the Premier League clubs are set to hold fresh talks with Mendes as they look to further explore the possibility of a move for Felix this month.
Arsenal are on the lookout for a fresh attacking addition following the injury to Gabriel Jesus which required the Brazilian to undergo surgery.
Given that the Gunners are leading the race for the Premier League title, they want to ensure that they go on to lift the trophy by ensuring there is enough firepower in attack, leading to the interest in Felix.
As for Manchester United, they are looking at the Atletico Madrid superstar as a possible replacement for his compatriot Cristiano Ronaldo, who left the club last month and signed for Al Nassr.
Both clubs have spoken to Mendes in the past and fresh talks are now set to be held imminently as the possibility of a January move is further assessed.
Chelsea are another club that are interested in Felix’s signing. But, as Romano mentions, the Blues are currently focusing on securing a deal for SL Benfica midfielder Enzo Fernandez.
PSG, too, had been mentioned as a possible suitor for the Portuguese ace, but Romano claims that the Ligue 1 champions are currently not in the race.
So, it could come down between Arsenal and Manchester United for Felix’s signing, although given how Chelsea have gone about their business, it will be foolhardy to rule them out of the equation completely.
Atletico Madrid News
Atletico Madrid monitoring teenage striker with €40 million release clause – Romano
According to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, Atletico Madrid are among the clubs monitoring the progress of UD Almeria striker Marciano Sanca.
The 19-year-old Guinea-Bissau forward joined Almeria from Portuguese outfit Leixoes in January last year, linking up with the club’s B team.
Marciano has made three league appearances Almeria’s reserve team and has not scored a goal yet. The teenager has been training with the first-team setup regularly and Romano claims that he is close to making his debut in La Liga.
While he might not have made a splash at the senior level yet, Marciano seems to be already gathering admirers with Atletico Madrid, Villarreal and Brighton & Hove Albion said to be tracking the youngster.
Los Rojiblancos are set to enter the market for a new centre-forward as Joao Felix is expected to be sold permanently while Alvaro Morata’s future is also not entirely certain.
So even though Diego Simeone has Memphis Depay, Angel Correa, and Morata at his disposal, Atletico Madrid will dive into the market for a new striker with there being links to Mateo Retegui of Boca Juniors, currently on loan at Tigre.
Now, Marciano has also emerged as a potential target or Atletico Madrid, although signing him will not be easy in the summer.
Even though the 19-year-old’s contract expires in 2024, he is bound by a release clause worth €40 million and Almeria intend to keep him at the club beyond this season.
So, the La Liga club might hold out for the entire release clause amount in order to stave off potential suitors like Atletico Madrid, who are not in a position to make such an investment on an unproven youngster.
