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Joao Felix rejected a loan move to Manchester United this summer, according to a report from Spain.
Mundo Deportivo, a Spanish sports outlet, contend Old Trafford officials were “interested in obtaining” Felix on loan from Atletico Madrid. Felix rejected this offer in favour of his long-standing desire to join Barcelona.
The report by Mundo Deportivo describes the move as a “dream” for the Portuguese forward who reportedly accepted significantly reduced financial terms to ensure the move to the Spanish giants.
Reports towards the end of the recently closed transfer window indicated United were keen to bring in a forward on loan to replace Mason Greenwood.
Greenwood joined Getafe on loan on the final day of the window leaving United with Rasmus Højlund and the undependable Anthony Martial as the club’s only recognised strikers.
Erik ten Hag is thought to have wanted reinforcements up front to lessen the burden on Højlund as United’s main man through the middle given the Dane’s relative inexperience.
Old Trafford officials seem to have landed on Felix as a potential option to fill this void. United had previously been linked with the forward in the January transfer window last season.
A similar loan deal was proposed as Ten Hag sought to strengthen his forward line following the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo, Jadon Sancho’s sabbatical and Martial’s persistent injury issues.
The financials of a deal eventually proved too much for a cash-strapped United to cover and Felix instead joined Chelsea.
The Portuguese’s time in London was not particularly successful but it is difficult to assess an individual’s quality when placed in a collective as chaotic and dysfunctional as Chelsea last season.
Felix’s quality on the ball is unquestioned and he appears to have improved his work rate under the strict watch of Diego Simeone.
Doubts remain about his productivity as well as his best position; a 9.5 feeling the best description of the forward. He lacks the clinical touch to be an undisputed number 9 nor the creative productivity to be a 10.
It’s an indictment on United’s current forward line that Felix would probably still have been a significant upgrade for Ten Hag in any position.
