As this summer’s transfer window approached its end, Manchester United were desperately seeking to reinforce their attacking ranks. Eventually they were forced to fork out around €100 million for Antony, a winger manager Erik ten Hag knew very well from their time together at Ajax, but one of their reported previous targets was Atletico Madrid star Joao Felix.
Felix joined the Rojiblancos in 2019 for a fee of over €120m, and United were said to be willing to pay even more to take him to Old Trafford this summer. Over the three years spent so far at the Wanda Metropolitano, the 22-year-old forward has scored 29 goals and provided 18 assists in 119 appearances in all competitions for the team commanded by Diego Simeone.
However, United’s interest in Felix was quickly silenced by Atletico, who were always believed to be considering him untouchable, set to remain in the Spanish capital for a long time yet no matter how big an offer for his services came in. With four years remaining on his contract, they are in a strong position to take this stance.
As for Felix himself, he was asked about the matter in an interview with Spanish publication Marca, and he revealed that the issue never reached him at all, with no agreement between the two clubs ever being close. He has no intention of leaving Atletico for the time being.
Asked about the possibility of winning the Ballon d’Or one day, Felix simply replied that he intends to work very hard to fulfill his potential and is looking forward to seeing where it takes him.