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What's the story?
According to a report from the Spanish media outlet Marca, Real Madrid are keeping close eye on Portuguese sensation Joao Felix amid interest from Barcelona.
In case you didn't know...
Joao Felix is one of the players who is experiencing a meteoric rise to fame due to his consistent brilliant displays. With 15 goals and 7 assists for Benfica in all competitions, Felix has proven himself to be one of the best talents across Europe and it is no secret that top clubs across Europe are interested to secure his services.
The 19-year-old Portuguese has been nicknamed 'Hurricane Felix' due to his rampaging runs on the flanks. Besides his pace and intensity, Felix's vision and composure sets him apart and which is why, he is touted as the heir to Cristiano Ronaldo. Moreover, the 19-year-old is versatile and can provide more than one option to his side.
Benfica is reluctant to let their asset go and raised his release clause to €120 million last year with a new contract. Portuguese side are trying to increase the release clause to €200 million with a new contract.
Felix scored a hat-trick against Frankfurt in the Europe league to help Benfica win 4-2 against Eintracht Frankfurt in the Europa League.
The heart of the matter
Real Madrid sent scouts to watch over another Barcelona target, Luka Jovic, who scored a goal for Frankfurt against Benfica.
According to the reports, Felix caught the attention of scouts instead but it was not a surprise for Los Blancos hierarchy. Felix scored against Guti's Real Madrid youth team two years ago in the UEFA Youth League semi finals which propelled Los Blancos to plan a move but eventually failed.
Real Madrid board realize they could lose another prodigy just like they did with Kylian Mbappe. Besides Barcelona, multiple Premier League clubs are interested and will try to meet his release clause
Rumour rating: 6/10
Marca remains a reliable outlet and it is an open secret that Felix is one of the names in Los Blancos' wishlist.
What's next?
Benfica is set to play Setugal in the Portuguese league before they face Frankfurt for the 2nd leg.
