Arsenal are very much in the running to sign a second high-quality attacking target alongside Mykhaylo Mudryk, David Ornstein has confirmed.
The Gunners’ position at the top of the Premier League was on Wednesday night cut to five points after Manchester City’s 3-1 win at Leeds. And Arsenal know they can afford precious few slip-ups with Pep Guardiola’s side breathing down their necks.
In order to maximise their chances, Arsenal’s board are prepared to bolster their squad with some high-quality signings in January. Their quest to sign a new midfielder is well documented, while they are also in the market for Shakhtar winger Mudryk.
Indeed, Arsenal’s opening offer for the 10-goal star has been batted away by the Ukrainian club. However, there is an optimism at Arsenal that a deal can be done with our transfer guru Graeme Bailey explaining why there is a rising belief the signing will go through.
And it seems Arsenal will not stop at signing Mudryk, either, with reports claimimg they also want a new centre-forward to cover for Gabriel Jesus.
The Brazilian faces around three months on the sidelines after undergoing surgery on a knee injury. And in his absence, the Gunners only have Eddie Nketiah as a senior centre forward.
Mikel Arteta, though, is keen to add some cover and the Gunners are among four sides being linked with Joao Felix.
The Portuguese star is reportedly looking for a new club after falling out with Diego Simeone and the Premier League looks a likely next destination. And with the player available on an initial loan, Arsenal are among those keen. Man Utd, Chelsea and Aston Villa have also reportedly heldg talks.
Ornstein confirms Arsenal want Joao Felix
Signing Felix, though, will not come cheap. Reports on Wednesday indicated that Arsenal will have to pay a substantial loan fee of around £8m, while also covering his vast wages. As a result, the Gunners were reportedly going cold on the idea and were instead chasing a mystery LaLiga alternative.
However, trusted source, David Ornstein of The Athletic, has confirmed that Arteta is indeed keen on Felix. And he claims Arsenal are very much in the running to sign him. However, that is only if they can reduce the costs surrounding the deal.
Speaking on NBC Sport‘s coverage of Leeds v Man City (28/12), Ornstein revealed the latest.
“They’re also keen to sign Joao Felix on loan from Atletico Madrid,” he said.
“He’s been offered to a number of clubs, but at the moment the numbers are too high.
“Jorge Mendes, his agent, knows he needs to move because he’s out of favour at Atletico.
“Arsenal are keen to do it, but the numbers would need to come down for that to happen. And I think probably they will.
“It would only be a six-month loan and that’s going to be be very expensive. But he is a high-quality player.”
Star would suit Arsenal
Felix has scored 33 times in 129 appearances for Atletico since a £113m move from Benfica in 2019. And while those numbers are not great, the player’s game has very much been affected by the defensive style of play Simeone prefers at the LaLiga giants.
Premier League interest in Joao FelixSeveral Premier League clubs including the likes of Man United, Newcastle and Arsenal have all been linked with Joao Felix.0 seconds of 1 minute, 41 secondsVolume 90%
Blessed with incredible vision and an eye for goal, he is the sort of player the Arsenal fans would love. He could also prove the difference maker as the Gunners look to go all the way in the title race.
source: https://www.teamtalk.com/
