‘This week’: Chelsea now hold talks about signing ‘world-class’ player who’s wanted by Arsenal – journalist

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Football journalist Simon Phillips claims Chelsea have now held internal talks about signing Atletico Madrid star Joao Felix – a player who’s wanted by Mikel Arteta at Arsenal.

Arsenal face a pivotal month ahead in terms of their quest to lift the Premier League title. Arteta’s men moved seven points clear at the top of the table on Saturday after beating Brighton 4-2.

Yet, the Spaniard will be well aware that he still needs to strengthen his squad in January, particularly in the attacking department after Gabriel Jesus’ injury.  

The Gunners seem to be prioritising a move for Shakhtar Donetsk’s Mykhaylo Mudryk, with 90 Min reporting that they are confident they’ll be able to strike a deal for the winger. 

But The Guardian has suggested that Arsenal could turn to Felix if a move for Mudryk fails and it seems they’ll face stiff competition for the Portuguese forward.

Chelsea hold talks about signing Felix

Phillips told GiveMeSport yesterday that Chelsea have held internal talks over the possibility of signing Felix over the past few days.

“This has been discussed internally at Chelsea this week. In the last few days, Chelsea have been talking about doing this deal,” he said.

“Obviously, Felix’s agent has been offering him around to a number of different clubs, with Chelsea being one of them.”

Felix looks set to leave Madrid this month but it remains unclear where he will end up, with Diego Simeone’s men currently demanding a hefty loan fee.

Atletico reportedly want around £18.5 million to allow the ‘world-class’ to leave on loan this month, but The Athletic claims that his price-tag could drop later this month. 

Both Arsenal and Chelsea are in need of attacking reinforcements, particularly Graham Potter’s side after losing Timo Werner and Romelu Lukaku over the summer.

The Gunners seem to be coping well without Jesus for now as Eddie Nketiah has bagged two goals in as many appearances over the past week. But Arteta will be eager to bolster his options up-front as they lack any quality back-up options to both Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli.

Felix would be a brilliant addition to their squad but Atletico’s demands seem a bit excessive considering the youngster wants to leave the club. Arsenal may be better off waiting until the end of the window to see if his price-tag drops, but they will be mindful of interest from their Premier League rivals.