Casemiro left Real Madrid and completed a move to Manchester United in August. Red Devils officials made a trip to the Spanish capital to hold talks with Los Blancos and during their time in Madrid, they reportedly also tried for João Félix.
Manchester United made a €130m bid for the forward, says AS, but their proposal was ‘rejected’ by Atlético Madrid.
AS on Friday detail what convinced the La Liga side to turn down the Premier League side’s offer for the 22-year-old.
Los Rojiblancos consider the Portugal international as an important player for the future and that was the reason why they didn’t entertain the approach made by Erik ten Hag’s side.
Félix has struggled to shine regularly since moving to the Metropolitano in 2019. He has failed to find the back of the net and has three assists from 11 matches this season.
Diego Simeone left him on the bench in Atlético’s goalless draw against Club Brugge. Félix showed discomfort towards the manager for not handing him minutes in the European competition.
A lack of opportunities at Atlético could impact his place in the Portugal team for the World Cup.
AS end their report by stating: ‘Atlético cannot afford to have a player of his price on the bench and the player must decide if he fights in training to regain his prominence or his months in the team are numbered. In more than three years he has been a flash player. João Félix and Simeone, the conflict served.’
The way things have gone for Félix in Madrid this term suggests Atlético would have made a mistake by turning down the €130m offer from Manchester United for the attacker.
AS mention Manchester United in their report that discusses the ‘story of divorce’ between Félix and Simeone.
