Atletico Madrid forward Joao Felix 'not interested in Aston Villa transfer'

Aston Villa have reportedly been handed a blow in their efforts to strengthen their squad during the January transfer window.

Since the arrival of Unai Emery, the West Midlands outfit have recorded back-to-back Premier League wins over Manchester United and Brighton & Hove Albion.

Prevailing from that double header has put Villa in a position where they are now 12th in the top flight and just four points adrift of sixth-placed Liverpool.

An upturn in fortunes has theoretically improved Emery's chances of attracting high-profile players to the club in a bid to challenge for European qualification.

One name which has been linked to Villa is that of Felix, who has been tipped to depart Wanda Metropolitano at the turning point of the year having failed to make a sustained impact under Diego Simeone.

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Furthermore, CEO Gil Marin has publicly acknowledged that the Portugal international could leave the club for the reasons reported in the media.

Despite the level of competition for his signature, it has been previously claimed that Villa are one of the frontrunners for the 23-year-old's signature.

However, according to Marca, Felix has little interest in making the switch to Birmingham to represent a club not playing in Europe.

The report states that the playmaker would prefer to represent a club with 'more substance and history', a stance which will effectively force Villa to look elsewhere.

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In recent days, the likes of Manchester United and Juventus have each been linked with a future approach for the player, who cost €126m in 2019.

United have space in their squad for a new forward due to the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo, while Juventus may move for reinforcements in a bid to boost their chances of remaining in the top four of Serie A.

More recently, however, it has been claimed that Arsenal could make a bid for Felix as they bid to find a replacement for the injured Gabriel Jesus, who is not expected to return until February at the earliest.

The Gunners have also been credited with an interest in Matheus Cunha, a teammate of Felix at Atletico who has made just two starts all season.