Aston Villa lead Man Utd in race for La Liga star as Emery looks to end ‘nightmare’ | OneFootball
Aston Villa are reportedly leading the race to sign Joao Felix from Atletico Madrid after Paris Saint-Germain pulled their interest in the forward.
Felix spent the second half of last season on loan at Chelsea having fallen out with Atletico boss Diego Simeone and the Portugal international looks set to be on the move again this summer.
He was reportedly made to train with the Atletico academy players on the first day of pre-season and has been stripped of the No.7 jersey, with Antoine Griezmann reclaiming the shirt he wore in his first spell with the club.
Chelsea were considering making Felix’s loan move permanent but new manager Mauricio Pochettino decided against it.
Atletico are said to be asking for an unlikely €100m for their star forward and Paris Saint-Germain were among the clubs most heavily linked with the 23-year-old.
But Football Espana now claim PSG have pulled out of the race, which is said to include Manchester United, who ‘rang’ Atletico to enquire about the Portugal international.
So too did Aston Villa and it’s claimed Unai Emery is interested in bringing Felix back to the Premier League to provide competition for Ollie Watkins in attack.
The Spanish boss could end Felix’s ‘nightmare’, which currently sees him unwanted by Atletico and struggling to find a new club.
Atletico ideally want Felix to leave in a permanent deal, though the €100m they want seems ludicrously optimistic, and the report claims they may be open to a loan deal that Villa would be offering.
Speaking at Benfica’s pre-season training camp at St George’s Park on Tuesday, the team’s vice-captain, Joao Mario, insisted Felix would be welcome back at the club he left in 2019 for £120m.
“I want the best for Joao,” Joao Mario said.
“He is a young man
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