It’s starting to look like João Félix’s departure from Benfica is closer than ever, according to the last reports from Portugal.
On Tuesday afternoon, outlet Correio da Manhã reported on their website that Manchester City made an offer of €120m for the player, showing the will to trigger his release clause.
Correio da Manhã are back today, this time in their paper edition, backing up the information. But this time, they claim that Manchester United and Real Madrid have offered the same amount.
Manchester City’s advantage in the race is that they’ve agreed to pay the agent commissions. That’s why they’re said to be in ‘pole position’.
Meanwhile, the other clubs are offering a bigger salary. While the Premier League champions would pay Félix €4.5m net per season, United and Real Madrid offer €5m.
It’s claimed Benfica president Luís Felipe Vieira has made a counter offer to all those clubs, asking for Félix to stay at Benfica for one more season.
Meanwhile, Record brings today a very similar story to the one that Correio da Manhã had yesterday. They say Manchester City have already offered €120m, and only didn’t trigger Félix’s release clause yet because they’re waiting to see if there would be problems with Financial Fair Play.
Regarding the competition, Record claims that it’s Atletico Madrid and Manchester United who have been in talks with Jorge Mendes, but it’s really Manchester City who are leading the race.
This all seems quite curious. Depending on how the clause works, the amount could simply be paid, as long as there’s an agreement with the player.
Mendes will want commission, of course, but United aren’t a club to often shy away from that. A lot could depend on how the youngster does in the Nations League, if he shines, starting tonight against Switzerland, the supposed offers may become more real.
