Atletico Madrid have confirmed their conditions for the sale of Manchester United target Joao Felix.
Manchester United have been on the trail of the Portuguese star after Cristiano Ronaldo exited the club.
Erik Ten Hag has maintained the club must fill the vacuum left by Cristiano Ronaldo following his exit.
But the takeover process planned by the Glazers has limited the amount of funds available for January transfer deals. Hence, Erik Ten Hag has confirmed Manchester United will be going for loan deals as the January transfer window open.
The club is currently targeting a number of forwards to fill the void at the front after Ronaldo’s exit.
They have been linked to Borussia Dortmund and France international Marcus Thuram, including Burnley and Dutch forward Wout Weghorst.
Also on the list of targeted forwards primed to replace Cristiano Ronaldo is out-of-favor Atletico Madrid and Portugal star Joao Felix.
Joao Felix is on the Manchester United transfer radar and is tipped as a prime target to replace countryman Cristiano Ronaldo at Old Trafford.
There are reports Manchester United club chief Richard Arnold is optimistic about completing a deal for Joao Felix and is poised to allow him take up the iconic number seven shirt at Old Trafford.
Meanwhile, Atletico Madrid have made their demands for Joao Felix clear. They are demanding a £9.5million loan fee, including assurances that the player will be bought for £70.5million after the loan spell.
Joao Felix clashed with his manager Diego Simeone and is expected to part ways with the club this January transfer window.
Other Premier League clubs are interested in signing the Portuguese star, but Manchester United are ahead in the race to sign the 23-year-old.
The Red Devils have submitted a £3million loan bid for Felix, and have pledged a commitment to pay the wages of the player. However, Atletico Madrid did not give the proposal a second thought. They rejected it as it falls below their valuation of the player.
All hope is not lost for the Red Devils. Atletico Madrid are willing to let Joao Felix leave on a loan move with a buy option. However, the club has given Manchester a deadline for the completion of the deal.
They have until next week to take a decision, with rival bids still expected from other clubs.
Premier League leaders Arsenal are also keen on a move for Joao Felix, with Ghana international Thomas Partey said to be trying to convince the Portuguese, who was his former teammate at Atletico Madrid, to join the club.
Chelsea are also interested in signing the Portuguese, and may likely hijack the deal if Manchester United fail to make any concrete moves.
Atletico Madrid signed Joao Felix in 2019 for a club-record fee of £113 million. This season, Joao Felix has struggled to break into Diego Someone’s starting eleven.
Since joining the club from Benfica, he has made 96 appearances, scoring 25 goals.
