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Topics: Arsenal, Joao Felix, Premier League, La Liga, Transfers, Football
Rory O'Callaghan
Topics: Arsenal, Joao Felix, Premier League, La Liga, Transfers, Football
Arsenal are being linked with a potential January move for Atletico Madrid star Joao Felix.
Mikel Arteta's side are in need of attacking reinforcements next month as they continue their Premier League title push.
Arsenal are currently five points clear at the top of the league but are set to be without first-choice striker Gabriel Jesus for several months.
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The Brazil international could be out until March after undergoing surgery on a knee injury picked up while playing for his country at the World Cup in Qatar.
Several names have been touted as potential replacements for Jesus, including Atletico Madrid forward Felix.
The Portugal international is reportedly keen to leave the Spanish club in January after struggling for minutes this season under Diego Simeone.
Felix, who is the fourth-most expensive player in history after joining Atletico in a £113m move from Benfica in 2019, has scored four goals in 18 appearances this season but has regularly found himself on the bench.
Felix is now being linked with a January exit after Atletico Madrid chief executive Miguel Angel Gil Marin admitted it was "reasonable to think that he might leave".
Transfer expert David Ornstein claims several Premier League sides have been contacted about Felix, with some of the potential suitors believing he could be available to sign on loan.
"Aston Villa is an option that Felix's agent Jorge Mendes is believed to be pushing," Ornstein wrote in his transfer column for The Athletic.
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"He has a strong relationship with the Villa ownership after doing the deal for Unai Emery to be appointed as manager.
"Some who work in top-level recruitment, however, think Felix may be better suited to Arsenal, given the stylistic fit and their potential need for attacking reinforcements after Gabriel Jesus underwent knee surgery."
However, Spanish publication Marca claim Aston Villa are unlikely to be able to sign Felix, with both the club and the city of Birmingham "not very attractive" to the 23-year-old.
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It is claimed that Felix would prefer a move to a team with "more substance and history".
Felix was reluctant to speak about his future while Portugal were still competing at the World Cup in Qatar.
"I'm completely focused on the World Cup," Felix said earlier this month.
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"My agent doesn’t tell me anything about what's going to happen, nor does he want to. I need to be focused on the now to play a great tournament."
Following Portugal's shock defeat to Morocco in the quarter-finals on Saturday, Felix may now be ready to make a decision over his club future.