Felix's shirt number frustration revealed as Man Utd and Arsenal opportunity made clear

Manchester United and Arsenal have both been linked with a move for Atletico Madrid star Joao Felix - and he could finally claim his preferred shirt number should he join either club.

Felix has worn the number seven shirt since signing for Atletico from Benfica in the summer of 2019.

He signed for the Spanish giants for a club-record fee of €126 million, with Atletico CEO Gil Marin recently claiming to RTVE that the deal was 'the biggest bet this club has taken in its history'.

Felix is renowned as one of the world's best creative forwards, and he can also play in a range of roles behind the striker.

But his time at Atletico hasn't completely worked out, and he is set to be made available for loan in January amid reports of a strained relationship between the player and manager Diego Simeone.

United and Arsenal are amongst the clubs keen, but The Athletic claim that neither club is currently willing to pay the €15 million loan fee Atletico are demanding for a six-month deal.

If either club can convince the Spanish club to allow one of their star assets to leave, however, they could hand him a great welcoming present.

Joao Felix shirt number preference revealed

As per the Daily Express, speaking shortly after arriving at Atletico, Felix explained that his first two shirt numbers were not available to choose from.

He said: "I wanted the number 79, but they didn't let me. Then I wanted the number 10, but that was already taken, so I ended up with number 7."

La Liga rules state that clubs must assign shirt numbers between 1 and 25 for their senior players, with 1, 13 and 25 reserved specifically for goalkeepers.

That is not a rule that exists in the Premier League, meaning Felix can pick the number 79 shirt at both United and Arsenal if given the opportunity. Players can choose between numbers 1 and 99.

The English top division hasn't yet adopted a more relaxed approach to shirt numbers, as seen in other sports. For instance, West Indies cricket legend Chris Gayle used to wear the number 333 during some matches, symbolising his highest score in Tests.

For now, we sense Felix might just be happy enough with wearing 79 if he moves to the Premier League.