Premier League champions Manchester City may be far from finished this summer in the wake of completing a duo of high-profile deals for Norwegian sensation Erling Haaland, and Argentine starlet Julian Álvarez in January, with Portuguese hitman João Félix now potentially coming into view for Pep Guardiola.
According to reports from Portuguese journalist Bruno Andrade, City could be in the running for Félix as Guardiola would look to continue to retool his first-team squad with the potential exits of both Raheem Sterling and Gabriel Jesus.
🚨 Pep Guardiola wants Manchester City to sign João Félix but the transfer essentially depends on the departures of Gabriel Jesus and Raheem Sterling.
(Source: @brunoandrd) pic.twitter.com/7zic8xF5xe
— Transfer News Live (@DeadlineDayLive) June 23, 2022
Andrade tweeted earlier today that “Haaland may not be the only strong reinforcement: Pep Guardiola wants João Félix at Manchester City. Trading, however, essentially depends on the departures of Gabriel Jesus and Sterling. It’s about opening up space in attack and, above all, balancing financial fair play.”
City striker Gabriel Jesus is still heavily linked with a move to Arsenal amid serious continued interest from Gunners boss Mikel Arteta, while Raheem Sterling has fielded interest from Chelsea as one of the top targets this summer for Blues tactician Thomas Tuchel.
Should the attacking pair both successfully earn moves away from the Etihad Stadium this summer, the door could be open for Félix to potentially move away from the Wanda Metropolitano despite the 22-year-old having been nominated as Atléti’s player of the season in 2021-22 after scoring 8-goals and adding 4-assists last season before injury cut short his ability to contribute.
Any potential deal for Félix could cost in excess of £100million considering he is still contracted to the capital outfit until 2026, so it remains unclear if City would be prepared to part with that much cash – despite sales – without reinforcing other parts of the XI first after Haaland is set to be unleashed on the Premier League next season.
But with Sterling also potentially leaving the club as many expect, there is scope to suggest that Félix could very easily come into the team in a starting capacity as questions also remain surrounding the future of Bernardo Silva, which leaves City at the time of writing with just Riyad Mahrez, Phil Foden, and Jack Grealish to be deployed in an attacking midfielder/winger capacity.
Given City’s spending habits, it is hardly out of the realm of possibility that the Premier League holders could view a deal for Félix as another avenue to add even further distance between them and their closest challengers in Liverpool.
