Partey in contact with La Liga star over joining Arsenal with Man Utd and Chelsea also interested

Joao Felix is in contact with Arsenal midfielder Thomas Partey as the Gunners consider a loan move for the Atletico Madrid striker.

Felix, 23, is expected to leave Atletico in the January transfer window, with a loan most likely for Portugal international.

Felix is set to be allowed to leave the Spanish club after falling out with manager Diego Simeone over his lack of game time this season.

The forward, who is still the fourth-most expensive player in history after joining Atletico in a £113m move from Benfica in 2019, has found himself regularly benched by Simeone in the current campaign.

He has managed only five goals this season but did score in Atletico's last match against Elche after being handed a rare start in the club's first league game after the winter break.

Nevertheless, he is believed to be seeking a move away from Atletico, with several Premier League clubs interested in the striker - including Chelsea, Manchester United and Arsenal.

Partey in contact with Felix

According to The Athletic, Arsenal midfielder Partey has been in contact with his former Atletico teammate Felix over a potential move to the Emirates.

However, Atletico's financial demands could be a sticking point in any deal for the Portuguese striker.

David Ornstein claims that the Spanish club are demanding a €15m (£13.3m) loan fee for Felix in addition to the club paying his €6m (£5.3m) wages over the course of the next six months – taking the overall package to more than £18m.

According to the report, none of the English clubs that are interested in Felix are willing to pay such a fee.

However, they are confident that Atletico will accept closer to around £9m for the overall deal as the window progresses.

Simeone tight-lipped over Felix's future

Simeone, meanwhile, has remained coy over Felix's future as negotiations continue.

"While he's here, I'll try to get the best out of Joao Felix for the club," Simeone said after the win over Elche.

"Then we will see what's going to happen."

His comments come after Atletico chief executive Gil Marin admitted Felix could seek a move away from the Spanish club this month.

"[Joao Felix] is the biggest bet this club has taken in its history. I personally think he's a top talent, a world-class player," Marin told TVE.

"For reasons it isn't worth getting into - the relationship between him and the boss [Simeone], the minutes played, his motivation right now - it makes you think that the reasonable thing is that if there's an option that's good for the player, good for the club, we can look at it.

“I'd love him to stay personally, but I don't think that's the player's idea."