23-year-old superstar not included in club squad for tonight's game with Chelsea and Arsenal linked to him - Reports

Atletico Madrid are without reported Chelsea and Arsenal target Joao Felix for their match against Real Oviedo in the Copa del Rey on January 4. The Portuguese ace has been linked with a move away from the Spanish club, and the latest omission has added fuel to the fire.

Felix is reportedly keen on leaving Atletico Madrid in the January transfer window after a fallout with manager Diego Simeone. The club are open to letting him leave on loan for the rest of the season but are demanding a stunning fee.

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As per a report in The Athletic, the Spanish side want €15 million as a loan fee and €6 million in wages covered by the club loaning him in. Journalist David Ornstein has confirmed Arsenal's interest and said:

"They're also (along with Mykhailo Mudryk) keen to sign Joao Felix on loan from Atletico Madrid. He's been offered to a number of clubs, but at the moment the numbers are too high. Jorge Mendes, his agent, knows he needs to move because he's out of favour at Atletico. Arsenal are keen to do it, but the numbers would need to come down for that to happen."

Felix has contributed five goals and three assists in 19 games across competitions.

Chelsea told not to sign Arsenal target

Chelsea are also in the race for Felix but are still working on signing Benfica midfielder Enzo Fernandez right now.

Pundit Paul Merson has urged the Blues to avoid making a move for the Arsenal target as he does not suit their system.

Atletico Madrid ready to loan Joao Felix - Man Utd & Arsenal main contenders at present. Both expressing firm interest in 23yo forward but at nowhere near €21m package #Atleti currently want (€15m fee + €6m wages for 6 months) @TheAthleticFC #MUFC #AFC theathletic.com/4046161/2023/0…

In his Daily Star column, he wrote:

"It's going to take Potter as much time to settle at Chelsea as it would a new player coming to a different league. He's had a bit of bad luck too. They have a £100 million player in Romelu Lukaku out on loan, and two of their best are injured. They need a striker because they can't blow teams away at the moment."

He added:

"But even if they buy a striker in January, it's a big ask to get in the top four now. I've seen Joao Felix linked with them but I think he'd be a bit lightweight in this league and a bit too similar to Kai Havertz. They need to find someone more dynamic who can bully defenders and score goals. But those are hard to find."

Manchester United are also said to be keeping tabs on the forward after they released Cristiano Ronaldo in November.