Arsenal ‘less advanced’ than Leeds over Atletico striker as Edu targets €120 teammate
Arsenal are reportedly interested in Atletico Madrid star Matheus Cunha but are ‘less advanced’ than Leeds in their bid to sign him.
The Gunners are on the lookout for a new striker in January after the blow of Gabriel Jesus’ injury on international duty in Qatar.
The Brazilian could be out for up to three months having undergone surgery on his knee and after their stunning start to the Premier League season, which sees Arsenal five points clear at the top of the table, Mikel Arteta is looking to find a replacement up top in order to maintain their title charge.
And GOAL claim Arsenal are looking at Cunha, who is set to leave Atletico anyway, as an option.
The 23-year-old has scored just seven goals in 54 appearances for the La Liga side since his move from Hertha Berlin in the summer of 2021, but he’s started just 11 of those games.
The report claims Aston Villa and Wolves are also interested in his services, and Leeds have also recently entered the mix.
Arsenal are thought to be ‘less advanced’ than Leeds who are ‘actively in talks with Cunha’s agents to see if he would be open to a January switch’.
But Gunners director Edu is reportedly in contact with Atletico over Cunha’s teammate, according to Corriere dello Sport (via Sport Witness).
The report states that they face competition from Manchester United, Paris Saint-Germain, Bayern Munich and Chelsea for the 23-year-old.
The phone of Jorge Mendes, Felix’s agent, is ‘hot’ due to the interest after the pair decided it was time to leave the Spanish club.
Felix isn’t on the best terms with manager Diego Simeone, who uses him sparingly.
But the Portugal international won’t come cheap, with Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano claiming earlier this month that Atletico want to recoup the majority of the €130m they paid Benfica to sign him in the summer of 2019.
“Joao Felix has chances to leave Atletico in 2023, for sure. Asking price will be more than €100m, around €120m – then will depend on the proposals.”
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