Arsenal have reportedly moved to the front of the queue in the race to sign Atletico Madrid striker Joao Felix.
The Portugal international is widely expected to call time on his stint at the Wanda Metropolitano after an alleged falling out with manager Diego Simeone.
Felix has struggled to earn regular starts under Simeone at Atletico, with Antoine Griezmann, Angel Correa, Matheus Cunha and Alvaro Morata also competing for minutes in the final third.
A host of clubs have been tipped to do battle for Felix, with Manchester United, Paris Saint-Germain, Aston Villa and Wolverhampton Wanderers all credited with an interest.
However, Marca reports that Arsenal have now leapfrogged their rivals and are the favourites to sign the 23-year-old as they seek cover for the injured Gabriel Jesus in January.
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Jesus was forced to undergo surgery on a serious knee injury that he sustained while playing for Brazil at the World Cup, and there are fears that he could be sidelined for three months.
As a result, Eddie Nketiah is currently the only senior striker in Arsenal's ranks, leading to the expectation that Mikel Arteta will scope out attacking reinforcements in January.
Atletico forked out a whopping €126m (£108m) to sign Felix from Benfica in the summer of 2019, and the Rojiblancos are rumoured to be after at least €100m (£85.7m) to sanction a winter sale.
Felix remains under contract at the Wanda Metropolitano until the summer of 2026, but CEO Miguel Angel Gil Marin has conceded that a departure could be on the cards.
"[Joao Felix] is the biggest bet this club has taken in its history. I personally think he's a top talent, a world-class player," Gil Marin told TVE in November.
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"For reasons it isn't worth getting into – the relationship between him and the boss (Simeone), the minutes played, his motivation right now – it makes you think that the reasonable thing is that if there's an option that's good for the player, good for the club, we can look at it. I'd love him to stay personally, but I don't think that's the player's idea."
Felix has struck 33 goals and 18 assists in 129 appearances for Atletico across all tournaments, and he won the 2020-21 La Liga title with Simeone's side.
However, the ex-Benfica starlet has only amassed four goals and three assists from 18 outings this term, starting just three games in La Liga and a further three in the Champions League.
Felix impressed for Portugal during the 2022 World Cup though, scoring once and providing two assists in four appearances as A Selecao crashed out to Morocco in the quarter-finals.
Felix's agent Jorge Mendes is supposedly pushing for his client to join Aston Villa, but the striker is not thought to be keen on the switch to the West Midlands.
Ben Knapton
