MANCHESTER UNITED have reportedly increased their offer to try and sign Atletico Madrid star Joao Felix, but remain £6.5million short of the asking price.
Felix, 23, has been targeted by United after they lost Cristiano Ronaldo to Al Nassr and missed out on Cody Gakpo.
Joao Felix’s move to Man Utd is under threat unless Utd nearly treble their bidRex
But it appears United have some way to go if they want to land the Portugal ace, who scored for Madrid against Elche in La Liga.
In fact, they will need to almost triple their current offer, according to Relevo.
United have submitted a £3.5m straight loan fee to the Spaniards with a full wage commitment.
However, Diego Simeone’s outfit want £10.5m in order to allow him to leave on loan this January.
These demands could cause an issue with both Felix and United.
Felix’s relationship with Simeone is far from ideal at the moment, evidenced by his current desire to leave the club for a fresh taste of football elsewhere.
It will also cause an issue for United, who do not have the financial means to justify such a large sum for a spell which will last just six months.
Erik ten Hag has previously said the club will not “burn” through money, and considering the club overspent in the summer it is not something they can afford to do from a sporting or financial standpoint.
HOW TO GET FREE BETS ON FOOTBALL
Ex-Chelsea and Arsenal ace Olivier Giroud has been earmarked as a target in January, though the Frenchman expects to be offered a new deal by AC Milan before his current deal expires.
United have just scored seven goals in three matches in the Premier League without conceding a single goal.
But the side’s struggles for manpower have grown more apparent after Donny van de Beek’s horror injury and the already well-documented fitness issues of Anthony Martial.
Marcus Rashford has been able to shoulder much of the goalscoring burden this year, but should he hit a dry patch it is difficult to see who may be another reliable source of goals.
Ten Hag has ruled out recalling Amad Diallo from his loan at Sunderland, while a recently returned Jadon Sancho remains some way short of match consideration.