Football transfer news - Benfica confirm €126m offer for Joao Felix from Atletico Madrid

"Atletico Madrid submitted a proposal for the acquisition of [Felix] for a total amount of 126,000,000 euros which is being analysed," Benfica said, in a statement to the Portuguese stock market.

The offer is above Felix's €126m release clause, with Atletico hoping to pay the fee in instalments.

If terms are agreed, 19-year-old Felix would be the most expensive player in the history of Atletico, surpassing the fee paid to AS Monaco for French international Thomas Lemar last season, and would become the second most expensive teenager in the history of the game after Kylian Mbappe.

The €126m offer would also make Felix the fifth most expensive player of any age in history, behind Neymar, Mbappe, Philippe Coutinho and Ousmane Dembele.

Joao Felix enjoyed a sensational breakthrough season for Benfica, scoring 15 goals and registering nine assists as his club won the Primeira Liga title. A hat-trick against Eintracht Frankfurt in the Europa League in April saw links increase to a big-money transfer this summer, with Manchester United and Manchester City heavily linked.

The player's smooth creative style has seen him compared to Kaka and Rui Costa, but the ex-Portuguese star says that is not a fair reflection:

The reported fee would make Felix the most expensive signing of the summer, topping Real Madrid's €100m purchase of Eden Hazard from Chelsea.