With Andre Onana now in the door at Manchester United, the Red Devils must now focus their attention on finally securing a much-needed centre-forward recruit ahead of next season, having been left with Anthony Martial as their only senior option in that striking berth.
With personal terms having been agreed with Atalanta's, Rasmus Hojlund, it looks as if that search for a new number nine could soon be coming to an end, albeit with that not likely to necessarily mean the end of the attacking additions at Old Trafford this summer.
According to Manchester Evening News, manager Erik ten Hag would also ideally like to recruit a second forward who can play in a variety of attacking roles, with the likes of Anthony Elanga and Facundo Pellistri potentially set to be on their way.
Amid that desire to find further attacking reinforcements, one name that has been mentioned of late is Atletico Madrid sensation, Joao Felix…
Will Man United sign Joao Felix?
Reports in Spain earlier this month named United as one of the clubs who have seemingly made contact regarding a potential move for the 23-year-old, with the Portugal international – who spent the second half of the season on loan at Chelsea – said to be 'seduced' by the prospect of returning to the Premier League.
The belief is that the former Benfica man – who has been valued at around €140m (£120m) – could be allowed to leave the Spanish capital on another temporary deal this summer, thus handing the Red Devils – and others – the potential chance to pounce.
Who is Joao Felix comparable to?
On the face of it, the signing of the 5 foot 11 ace – who was raking in a reported wage of around £195k-per-week while with the Blues – could prove to be an astute move, with the young superstar having shown his class after chipping in with 52 goal involvements in just 131 games during his time with Atleti, after previously registering 20 goals and 11 assists in 43 outings for his previous employers.
That being said, however, those at United may be concerned by the fact that the playmaker – who was branded a defensive "liability" last season by The Byline's Alex Goldberg – is said to share a number of stylistic and statistical similarities with former Old Trafford flop, Alexis Sanchez, according to FBref, with the pair both players who can operate all across the forward line.
That likeness between the two men is notably indicated by their creative prowess, with Sanchez – who recently spent the 2022/23 campaign at Marseille – ranking in the top 6% among his European peers for progressive passes, while Felix ranks in the top 5% for that same metric.
Equally, that ability to make the difference in the final third is also shown by the fact that the latter man ranks in the top 8% with regard to shot-creating actions, while Sanchez ranks in the top 9% in that regard.
Despite those shared positive attributes, however, the Red Devils are likely to be scarred by the dismal nature of the Chilean's time at the Theatre of Dreams, as he scored just five goals in 45 games after signing in January 2018, despite having previously scored 80 goals in 166 games for former club, Arsenal.
On a reported wage of more than £400k-per-week at the time, the one-time Barcelona ace never truly managed to settle in Manchester, lasting just 18 months before being shipped out on loan to Inter Milan.
Branded a "disgrace" by former United man, Paul Ince for his limp displays for the club, the mercurial talent proved ultimately to be a waste of money for those at Old Trafford, with the aim not to make the same mistake again with the signing of Felix.
As the club found out with the case of Sanchez – and others – opting to pursue glamorous, big name additions isn't always the wisest approach…
