Atletico Madrid ready to listen to offers from Man Utd, others for Joao Felix 

Atletico Madrid will listen to offers for João Félix in January, with Manchester United among the clubs interested in the Portugal forward.

United met Félix’s agent Jorge Mendes in the summer to discuss a move for the 23-year-old but Atletico Madrid were then adamant he was not for sale.

Félix’s tense relationship with Diego Simeone has deteriorated though in recent months and Atletico are ready to cut their losses on a player they spent 127 million euros to sign from Benfica in 2019.

The Spanish club cannot expect to recoup that amount now but the hope is Félix’s performances at the World Cup will serve as a reminder of his huge potential, with interested clubs being sounded out over a deal worth around 100 million euros.

United and Bayern Munich have both retained a strong interest in Félix while Barcelona have long been keen but cannot afford such a hefty fee. The La Liga side proposed a swap deal for Félix involving Antoine Griezmann last year, which Atletico swiftly rejected.

Félix was one of the most highly-rated youngsters in the world when he joined Atletico, having scored 15 league goals in his only season in the Benfica first team, as he helped the Portuguese club win the Primeira Liga.

There have been glimpses of Félix’s obvious talent in Spain, where he has scored 33 goals in 129 games. He scored six goals in four matches in the middle of Atletico’s title-winning season in 2020-21, one of a number of hot streaks that eventually fizzled out.

Overall, Félix has struggled to fulfil his potential at Atletico, where his free-flowing style has proven an awkward fit with Simeone, who demands that even his attackers prioritise defensive duties. The overwhelming sense is that Simeone has never fully trusted Félix while the player believes another coach would make better use of his creative strengths.

Félix has started only five of Atletico’s 14 league games this season, although he finished strongly before the World Cup by scoring four goals in his last four appearances in all competitions. He then scored in Portugal’s first group game against Ghana, which they won 3-2.