Liverpool transfer target Joao Felix will leave Portuguese giants Benfica this summer, according to journalist Mohamed Bouhafsi.
The RMC Sport football writer revealed the news on his personal Twitter account, claiming that the Reds are one of four big name teams interested in the 19-year-old.
Pep Guardiola is thought to be hugely keen on the youngster at Manchester City, while Manchester United and Juventus are also in the mix.
Felix is said to have a £104million release clause and, according to Bouhafsi, he will certainly leave Bruno Lage’s side this summer. However, while the four clubs have talked with Felix’s agents, none have matched the release clause yet.
4 clubs se sont d’ores et déjà positionnés auprès de l’entourage de la pépite de Benfica João Félix : Man City (Pep est fan du joueur) la Juventus Turin, Liverpool et Man United. Le joueur va quitter Benfica cet été ! La clause est 120M€ mais pas sur d’être atteinte.
— Mohamed Bouhafsi (@mohamedbouhafsi) April 23, 2019
OPINION
This is an important update from Bouhafsi. While the assumption has for a long time been that Felix will leave Benfica this summer, no one has come out and explicitly said it. Where he will end up is a far more complicated question. With City in the mix and Guardiola a huge admirer of the player it will be difficult for Liverpool to outmuscle the Premier League champions. The allure of playing for United is still a big thing and so that could present a major problem for the Reds, while we know that Juventus are now in a position to attract the very best players in the world. So competition for Felix will be fierce, but he’s a player worth making the effort for. If it’s certain that he will leave Benfica this summer then Liverpool need to go all out for him. He is a phenomenal young talent who is going to be up there with the best players in the world in a few years. Jurgen Klopp must get this deal done.
