Arsenal in surprise lead after Arteta identifies Gabriel Jesus replacement

Arsenal have emerged as surprise frontrunners in the race for Atletico Madrid forward Joao Felix. The Portugal international wants to leave the Spanish club after falling out with Diego Simeone, and his agent Jorge Mendes is in contact with a number of clubs over a potential move in January.

Mikel Arteta is in the market for a forward after seeing Gabriel Jesus suffer a knee injury with Brazil at the World Cup in Qatar. The former Manchester City forward has undergone surgery, and is expected to be out for at least three months leaving the manager with just Eddie Nketiah as his sole striker.

Felix joined Atletico from Benfica in a club-record €126million deal in 2019, but has failed to capture the form that catapulted him to fame with the Portuguese side. After three seasons in La Liga, he is now ready to leave the Spanish capital club after falling out with Simeone.

The Madrid club's CEO Miguel Angel Gil Marin has confirmed that Felix will be allowed to leave in January, if the club receive the right offer. A number of clubs have shown interest in recent weeks from across Europe, but it remains to be seen if Atletico will demand a fee closer to what they paid Benfica.

"For reasons it isn't worth getting into -- the relationship between him and the boss [Simeone], the minutes played, his motivation right now -- it makes you think that the reasonable thing is that if there's an option that's good for the player, good for the club, we can look at it," Marin said.

Mendes, Felix's agent, has begun shopping his client around to clubs across the continent. Paris Saint-Germain are said to have shown interest, while there is also interest from a number of clubs in the English Premier League.

Manchester United have emerged as a genuine contender, while The Athletic's David Ornstein has pegged Aston Villa as a potential candidate. However, according to Marca, Arsenal have emerged as the frontrunners with the Gunners' technical director being tasked with a move to sign a forward.

The North London club is currently on top of the Premier League table with title favourites Manchester City five points behind in second. Arteta is aware that he will need to strengthen in January in order to maintain his team's charge, especially after the injury to one of his key players.

Strengthening his forward line is Arteta's number one priority, and the club has also been linked with a move for Shakthar Donetsk's Mykhayalo Mudryk. The second priority is bolstering the midfield and Leicester City's Yourio Tielemans remains the club's top target.