Newcastle United and Aston Villa are apparently prepared to hold negotiations with Joao Felix’s agent, Jorge Mendes, over a prospective trade.
The Atletico Madrid playmaker is poised to depart the club next month after falling out with boss Diego Simeone prior to the World Cup break. The former Benfica star has still scored four goals and provided three assists in 18 appearances for Atleti in all competitions – but his time with the club could be coming to an end after Spanish outlet AS revealed they were willing to accept an offer of around £86 million for the attacking midfielder.
The Sunday Mirror has added to the speculation by suggesting Newcastle and Villa were ‘surprise contenders’ to conclude a deal when the transfer window reopens in January. The report also states Mendes – who also represents Cristiano Ronaldo – is set to fly into the UK to hold face-to-face talks over his client’s future.
Previous discussions are said to have been held with Chelsea and Manchester United and it is believed they remain keen on a possible deal to bring Felix to the Premier League, with Newcastle and Villa’s chances of securing an ambitious deal being hampered by the fact they can not offer European football at this point in time.
During a recent press appearance, Felix offered no insight into his future and refused to be pressed on what might come next. “I am focused on the World Cup. 100 percent on the World Cup and having a wonderful World Cup. We are thinking about having a great tournament and (focused) on the Portuguese. I will talk about Atletico when the World Cup is over,” he said during the World Cup.
Felix participated in all but one of Portugal’s World Cup games, including their shock quarter-final loss to Morocco last Saturday.
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