Man Utd plot Joao Felix hijack and hope to exploit missing Chelsea clause
Manchester United want to capitalise on Chelsea not having the option to buy Joao Felix permanently ahead of his loan spell coming to an end, it's been claimed.
The Portuguese forward, 23, has spent the second half of this season with the rudderless Blues, scoring two goals in 10 appearances. Chelsea paid parent club Atletico Madrid a sizeable loan fee worth £9.6million to temporarily secure his services in the January transfer window, but the deal doesn't include a set price to buy him permanently.
With the Blues now without a manager and in disarray, United are reportedly looking to swoop in and sign Felix from under their rivals' noses. Erik ten Hag 's side had been interested in January but were put off by Atletico's lofty asking price for a sixth-month loan agreement.
Now, though, Spanish publication Mundo Deportivo say that Ten Hag has turned his attention back to the Portugal international in the hope that United can strike a deal this time around. Felix, who was signed by Atletico for a club-record £113m in the summer of 2019, could be available for around £88m come July.
The 23-year-old has enjoyed his time in West London, despite Chelsea enduring a torrid run of form since his arrival which on Sunday resulted in the sacking of Graham Potter. Felix infamously missed three games due to suspension after being shown a red card for a wild tackle on Fulham defender Kenny Tete during his eventful debut, but has otherwise looked sharp in a dysfunctional attack.
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The ex-Benfica starlet recently told the LondonBluePod: "For now I'm on loan at Chelsea, so I don't know the future yet, but I'm here and I see that it's a big club with a big project. I know that Chelsea is a great European team, I feel it and I can see it.".
Erik ten Hag wants to sign a striker this summer and Joao Felix is a target (James Gill - Danehouse/Getty Images)Have your say! Would Felix be a good signing for Man Utd? Let us know your verdict in th e comments section.
Meanwhile, Atletico captain Koke wants Felix to return to the Spanish capital next season. "Joao is picking up the rhythm of the games," Koke explained in an interview with Mundo Deportivo. "He is gaining confidence for the coming season to come back here."
As for United, they have their own loan striker who's future is in doubt. Burnley flop Wout Weghorst joined the Red Devils in January after cutting short his loan spell with Besiktas.
Wout Weghorst is due to leave Manchester United at the end of this season (Dave Howarth - CameraSport via Getty Images)United stumped up a £2.5m compensation fee to the Turkish giants and Ten Hag is open to signing Weghorst, 30, on a permanent basis - not that many fans would say that's a good idea after watching his dire display against Newcastle. "Of course [he could stay]. I think he is doing a lot of elements of football really well," the United manager declared last Friday.
"Wout is doing a really good job for us. He is the leader of the process in pressing, he starts the press and is very good in backward pressing. He is also taking up [good] positions and in his link-up play he's doing really well. He is making good movements, making space for others, he's also good in set-plays. He is really contributing to this team."
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