Man Utd and Man City are seemingly set to miss out on reported target Joao Felix after Atletico Madrid lodged a whopping €126m bid for the starlet.
As noted by The Sun earlier this month, City had reportedly tabled a huge contract offer for the 19-year-old in an attempt to beat United to his signing.
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It comes after he impressed for Benfica last season, scoring 20 goals and providing 11 assists in 43 appearances across senior and youth level.
Coupled with his breakthrough for Portugal, there is no doubt that Joao Felix has a bright future ahead of him for club and country and the level of interest in him coupled with the calibre of the sides mentioned in mind, it’s obvious that he is highly-rated and one of the most sought-after young talents in Europe.
However, it would appear as though Atleti are closing in on a deal to sign him, as BBC Sport report that the Spanish giants have made a €126m bid for the Portuguese starlet, which is in excess of his €120m release clause.
It’s noted that the club want to pay in instalments and so that will arguably be the only stumbling block if Benfica prefer the money upfront, but with no mention of a tangible bid being made by either Man Utd or Man City, they now risk falling behind in the transfer battle and seeing him move to the Wanda Metropolitano.
Both sides could arguably do with a quality young talent like Felix, with United lacking that technical quality and creativity in the final third to offer a different dynamic to the likes of Marcus Rashford, Anthony Martial and Jesse Lingard.
As for City, with David Silva confirming that he will be leaving at the end of the season, as per the Guardian, they could be in the market for a long-term replacement for the Spaniard, but it would appear as though Felix will not be that solution.
