Real Madrid set to offer stiff competition to Manchester United in race to sign 22-year-old forward: Reports

According to Fichajes (via Caughtoffside), Real Madrid are set to rival Manchester United in their reported pursuit of Atletico Madrid attacker Joao Felix.

Felix has become an important part of Diego Simeone's Atletico Madrid side since joining from Benfica for a whopping fee of €126 million back in 2019. Felix has scored 29 goals and provided 18 assists in 121 games for the Madrid-based side.

He has played 10 games for Atletico Madrid so far this campaign, providing three assists.

It was reported by AS earlier this summer that Manchester United are keen on adding the Portuguese forward to their team. However, their bid was rejected by the Rojiblancos.

Manchester United's attack has not fired as they would have wanted in recent times with injury issues to Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford's poor form. With Cristiano Ronaldo now 37, the club are looking for back-ups in the position and his compatriot Felix could be a perfect fit.

Real Madrid are also keen to add more depth to their attack. Karim Benzema is in his mid 30s and has a few years left at the top level. Hence, Felix might be a good addition to the team in the long term.

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Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti on win against Shakhtar Donetsk

Real Madrid v Shakhtar Donetsk: Group F - UEFA Champions League

Real Madrid secured their third win of the UEFA Champions League in as many games with their win against Shakhtar Donetsk on October 4. They won 2-1 at home against the Ukrainian side.

Ancellotti was satisfied with his team's performance as he told the media after the game (via realmadrid.com):

"The team relaxes when they can relax. We were winning 2-0 and the game was under control. Intensity is important, but it can’t always be done. We dropped the intensity, thinking that the game was under control and we were comfortable. I had a word with them at half-time because the game wasn’t over."

He added:

"Sometimes this happens, because we were playing well and it seemed easy, but these games are dangerous. We only gave them one opportunity in attack, I’m not worried."

The Italian further assessed striker Karim Benzema's performance during the game, saying:

"He's feeling great and was crucial thanks to his quality and his positioning. He put in a team performance and was a presence in the penalty area. He didn't get on the scoresheet, but that's the last thing we're focusing on. His condition has improved a lot and he put in a complete performance."

Benzema returned to action at the weekend (October 2) after missing out a few games due to injury. He played a full 180 minutes across two games but couldn't score.

Real Madrid will next face Getafe away in La Liga on October 8.