According to the latest reports from the Mirror, Atletico Madrid could beat Manchester City in the race to sign Benfica’s star talent Joao Felix. City have been one of the prime contenders for the Portuguese prodigy for quite some time, but the Spanish heavyweights could now win the race for him.
It is believed that Felix’s agent Jorge Mendes is pushing for a move in the La Liga for the player to aid his development. Mendes believes that playing under Simeone regularly can help Felix more than the financial riches of England at this point of his career.
Reports have come out that the Citizens had offered Felix a chance to earn around £100,000-a-week, but the attacker could snub that now for a move to Atletico Madrid. This should come as a big blow to Pep Guardiola as Felix has emerged as one of the hottest young prospects right now. Madrid can finance the move as they are going to earn big money once Antonie Griezmann departs from the club.
Not a big blow for City, atleast in the short term
City though shouldn’t be in too much trouble given the squad they have if Atletico Madrid beats them to the signature of Felix. Guardiola’s men became the first team to defend the Premier League title in the last decade, and they racked up a whopping 198 points over the course of two seasons. Even though they missed Kevin De Bruyne for the good chunk of the last season, they continued their juggernaut on the domestic front.
That shows the depth they have in the squad. With Sergio Aguero still going strong and Gabriel Jesus as a backup option, Felix shouldn’t be too big a miss for the club in the short term.
The Portuguese star came into the limelight after his terrific displays last season where he helped Benfica win the League title over Porto. Felix contributed with 20 goals and 11 assists in all competitions, and at just 19, he looked like a class apart in his division.
What makes Felix special?
The youngster predominantly plays as a secondary striker or a number 10. His pace and dribblings skills are his stand out attributes, but his ability to find the right pass and finish off moves is what makes him special. Often youngsters are indecisive in the final third, and they improve with experience. But Felix already seems to have that knack of scoring goals and finding the telling ball in the final third. City are not too bad off at the moment, but they would have loved to have a talent like him in their squad.
