Man Utd: Ronaldo exit won’t impact move for £240k-a-week Portugal star | OneFootball

Manchester United’s recent fallout with Cristiano Ronaldo is unlikely to ‘impact’ the thinking of target Joao Felix, according to journalist Dean Jones.

The Red Devils are one of several clubs who have been linked with a more for Felix in recent weeks but have just terminated the contract of his compatriot Ronaldo by mutual consent.

Fabrizio Romano recently revealed in a column for CaughtOffside that Felix is ‘open to leaving’ Atletico Madrid as ‘there are tensions with Diego Simeone’.

“Joao Felix is a special talent, but we know his situation with Atletico Madrid has not been easy,” said Romano. “He’s had a good relationship with the club and the fans, but there are tensions with Diego Simeone.

“This is why he’s now open to leaving Atletico Madrid in 2023 – we’ll see if it’s in January or in the summer. It’s not true that Felix has asked to leave, but he’s open to a move.”

90min have since claimed that the Portugal international is ‘ready to look at a move away’ from the Wanda Metropolitano Stadium as speculation over his future continues to mount.

And the likes of United, Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain have been listed amongst his potential suitors.

What has Jones said about Felix?

Jones has informed GiveMeSport that Ronaldo’s issues upon his return to Old Trafford are unlikely to count against United when it comes to signing Felix.

He said: “I don’t think it would really impact, no. Ronaldo has got his own reasons for things not working out at Man United, I think Joao Felix, the stage of his career, the type of player he is is quite different.

“And he’d have to have his own reasonings as to what his next club was going to be, and if he was to turn down something like Man Utd, he’d have a big reason as to why he feels that’s not the case.”

Would Felix be a good signing?

Felix moved to Atletico from Benfica in a £113 million deal back in 2019 and he has registered a slightly underwhelming 33 goals and 18 assists in 129 appearances since.

The creative talent, who earns £240,000-per-week, has put up some impressive underlying numbers in the last year, though, highlighting his top-class potential.

As per FBref, Felix has ranked in the 99th percentile for interceptions, 88th for progressive passes, 85th for completed dribbles, and the 82nd for shot-creating actions amongst his positional peers over the last 12 months.

Those figures have seen Felix lauded as “phenomenal”, and if Erik ten Hag could extract the best out of the versatile attacker, then United would have a world-class talent on their hands.