Rumours linking Atletico Madrid frontman Joao Felix to Manchester City have been quashed after the player was linked to the Premier League champions on Thursday afternoon. The speculation comes after rumours of an exit for Raheem Sterling to Chelsea and the expected departure of Gabriel Jesus to Arsenal, with Felix being seen as a potential attacking reinforcement.
Reports surfaced on Thursday afternoon from Bruno Andrade of UOL Esporte tweeting that Pep Guardiola has a desire to bring the Portugal international to the Etihad Stadium, with the potential deal hinging on Jesus and Sterling moving on in order to balance out the books for financial fair play and free up space in the attack for the upcoming season.
The former Benfica man is still under contract with Atletico Madrid until June 2026, meaning that any attempt to sign the player would likely command a massive transfer fee; the player was signed for £113 million, meaning that the transfer fee would likely have to be very close to that to entice Atleti to sell their Portuguese star.
Despite claims of Guardiola and Txiki Begiristain being long-term admirers of the player, City are set to be joined by two young strikers in Norwegian juggernaut Erling Haaland and Argentine prodigy Julian Alvarez.
Rumours of academy prospects like Cole Palmer being given more minutes in the upcoming season, as well as talk of Algerian stalwart Riyad Mahrez potentially extending his contract, suggest minutes in the attack will be hard to come by.
Moreover, it was reported by Sam Lee of The Athletic a few days ago that there was no intention from the club to replace Sterling with a new forward signing should he leave this summer, which did make these Felix suggestions appear unrealistic from the get-go when factored in with the aforementioned points.
Only two or so hours after Andrade's claims, BBC Radio Manchester's Mike Minay disclosed that he had been told from within City that the rumours linking Felix with the club were “untrue”, effectively ending the short-lived speculation.
Written by: @Zersailles
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