Aston Villa in for Joao Felix but face battle
Villa are genuine suitors for Joao Felix though they face major competition in any bid for the Atletico Madrid forward.
Felix is expected to be available next month and reports have claimed his agent, Jorge Mendes, is pushing Villa as a possible option.
Mendes has a strong relationship with the club’s co-owner Nassef Sawiris and helped broker the deal which saw Unai Emery appointed manager in October.
But Felix has interest from a some of the biggest clubs in Europe, including Premier League leaders Arsenal, while the sizeable fee certain to be demanded by Atletico – who signed Felix from Benfica for £126million three years ago – also makes striking a deal tricky.
Villa will be active in the transfer window and Emery is keen to strengthen in attack.
As in previous windows, the club are determined to get the bulk of their business completed as early as possible.
