"They had conversations with his agent Jorge Mendes" - Transfer expert says Arsenal are in talks with superstar striker's agent 

Arsenal have reportedly contacted agent Jorge Mendes for a potential transfer for his client Joao Felix in January.

The Portugal international is looking to leave Atletico Madrid due to his dwindling relationship with manager Diego Simeone and lack of opportunities.

The forward joined the Spanish club from Benfica in 2019 for a whopping €126 million but has failed to justify his price. He has scored 33 goals and provided 18 assists in 129 games for Atletico.

Felix's availability in the transfer market has garnered interest from various clubs, including Arsenal. Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano has suggested that the Gunners have also made contact with Mendes regarding the same. The Italian journalist told GiveMeSport:

"It’s true they had conversations with his agent Jorge Mendes. But it depends on the conditions of the deal because if it’s more than €100million, I think it is going to be difficult."

Arsenal are currently at the top of the Premier League table, five points above second-placed Manchester City. They will look to have a productive January transfer window to maintain their position until the end of the season.

However, they will have to face stiff competition for Felix's signature. As per Corriere dello Sport, Mendes has also spoken to Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich. Meanwhile, Chelsea are also monitoring the forward's situation.

Felix had a decent FIFA World Cup with Portugal in Qatar but couldn't help them get past Morocco in the quarter-finals. He scored one goal and provided two assists in four appearances in the tournament.

---

Mikel Arteta on Arsenal's plans for the January transfer window

Arteta recently admitted that the Gunners need more depth and quality in the squad and will look to add to it in the January transfer window.

He said (via Evening Standard):

“We are going to be active and active means we are looking to strengthen the team. This squad still doesn’t have the luxury of not maximising every single window. We have to do that because it’s really important."

However, the Spanish boss also stressed that Arsenal needs to bring in the right players in January to strengthen their squad:

“But then we have to get the right profile, it has to be the right player to take us to the next level. We will be in the market always active and we will assess the biggest opportunities that we have."

He added:

“You know there are a lot of teams with new coaches and new owners that are going to probably get again this window into a position that is never seen or experienced before, but we know that and we have to be active on it.”

Arsenal will resume their Premier League title challenge when they host West Ham United tomorrow (December 26).