Benfica deny agreement with Atlético Madrid for João Félix | OneFootball

Benfica have officially denied reports João Félix is poised to join Atlético Madrid in a deal worth €120m.

Various outlets in Spain and Portugal claimed on Monday that Félix was potentially just hours away from becoming an Atlético player.

Spanish outlet El Chiringuito and Portuguese outlet A Bola even reported that the LaLiga club were going to pay the 19-year-old’s €120m release clause in full, and that Portuguese super agent Jorge Mendes would receive 30% of the fee for brokering the deal.

But on Monday evening, Benfica released the following statement via their official website.

“In view of the set of news published in these last hours, Sport Lisboa e Benfica – Futebol, SAD clarifies that it is false that any negotiation process is currently under way regarding a possible transfer of player João Félix,” began the statement.

“The conditions for its negotiation are public and known, taking into account the termination clause defined in the amount of €120m.

“More serious, and that deserves our most vehement repudiation and denial, is the false news that refers to negotiations that involve commissions of 30% and which, unfortunately, was echoed in Portugal by the newspaper A Bola, with intentions and goals that we do not know at all.

“We repeat: this information is totally false, absurd and has clearly intentional intentions for the reputation and dignity of Sport Lisboa e Benfica.”

Manchester City have also been heavily linked with Félix this summer but it looked like the Portugal international would be heading to Madrid following reports he had been spotted in the Spanish capital on Monday.

The saga continues.