Manchester United plot Joao Felix bid as Chelsea err against permanent move: report

Manchester United are considering a summer swoop for Joao Felix, with Chelsea set to opt against making the forward's loan from Atletico Madrid permanent.

Felix, 23, joined the Blues in January on a deal until the end of the season, having extended his Atletico contract until 2027 before the move.

As such, his price tag will have shot up – and Chelsea are said to have reservations about Atletico's £88m valuation of the Portuguese international, potentially leaving the door open for United to pounce.

However, according to MailOnline, Chelsea have not ruled out the possibility of having Felix at Stamford Bridge next season by signing him on loan again.

The former Benfica youngster – who became the fourth-most expensive player of all time when he joined Atletico for £113m four years ago – has made 13 appearances for the Blues so far, scoring twice.

United will be looking to upgrade their forward options this summer, although a new number nine has to be the priority for the 13-time Premier League champions – who have been linked with the likes of Harry Kane and prolific Napoli striker Victor Osimhen, among others.

Felix would not fill that particular need, but Ten Hag is thought to be an admirer of the versatile attacker, a quarter-finalist with Portugal at the 2022 World Cup – where he scored in his country's tournament-opening win over Ghana.

Were Felix to move to Old Trafford for the £88m Atletico are believed to be demanding (almost twice his current Transfermarkt valuation of £44.7m), he would become United's second-most expensive signing of all time – behind only Paul Pogba.

And the lure of Champions League football could well attract him to United – who are well on track to qualify for next season's competition.

Speaking on that subject last month, he said: "Yeah, playing the Champions League is always different. It’s a competition that everyone wants to play [in]."

More Chelsea stories

Real Madrid are reportedly keeping tabs on Reece James, who Chelsea could be forced to sell in order to comply with UEFA financial fair play rules.

Meanwhile, N'golo Kante is said to be open to joining Arsenal when his Chelsea contract expires this summer.

And the Blues could miss out on Italy star Nicolo Barella to Liverpool – a potential destination for Mason Mount, who has also been linked with a switch to Thomas Tuchel's Bayern Munich.