Arsenal’s interest in Atlético Madrid and Portugal star João Félix seems genuine, with Mikel Arteta being a big fan of the player ahead of a potential move to the Emirates Stadium, CBS journalist Ben Jacobs has told GiveMeSport.

The forward had been part of Fernando Santos’ A Seleção squad at the World Cup this month, until the side’s 1-0 quarter-final defeat to Morocco.

Arsenal transfer news – João Félix

Atlético Madrid head coach Diego Simeone has been speaking to reporters on Félix’s future at the La Liga club, stating (via Football.London):  "I hope we can give João some serenity, joy to show what he learned at the World Cup — he’s important. I only focus on Atléti to win. Our CEO's words on Joao’s future? Whatever has to happen, will happen. Here no one is untouchable."

According to Corriere dello Sport (via Sport Witness), Arsenal are one of the clubs actively in talks to try and bring the Portuguese forward to the club in the winter transfer window, alongside teams such as Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain.

However, journalist Gianluca Di Marzio has claimed that the La Liga side could demand a fee of up to £120m for the attacker’s services this summer, suggesting that any move for the 23-year-old will not come cheap.

Sky Sports reporter Dharmesh Sheth has previously told GiveMeSport that Félix ‘would be a very good addition to any frontline’ amid potential interest from Arsenal.

And Jacobs believes that there is “a bit more in this” with regards to a move for the Atlético star this winter, but the north London side will have to identify how much they are willing to pay for the forward in the new year.

What has Jacobs said about Arsenal and Félix?

Jacobs told GiveMeSport: “With João Félix, I think there is a bit more in this from Arsenal's perspective. I do think that Mikel Arteta really likes the player. Arsenal need to understand what Félix's desire is because there's a whole lot of interest and also what the price point is with Atléti.”

How did Félix perform at the World Cup?

Despite suffering a disappointing exit in the quarter-finals at the hands of Morocco at the World Cup, Félix put in an impressive showing on the world’s biggest stage for his nation.

The forward scored one goal and provided two assists in four appearances in Qatar according to Transfermarkt, suggesting that he is capable of providing a relatively consistent goal output when required.

An impressive average WhoScored rating of 7.10 for the Atléti star’s showings in the Middle East ranked him as Portugal’s third-best performing player at the tournament, behind only Bruno Fernandes and Diogo Dalot of Manchester United.

And with striker Gabriel Jesus likely being ruled out for the majority of the second half of the campaign through an injury picked up at the World Cup, Arteta and Edu may look to Félix as somebody who can provide versatility across that frontline for the remainder of the campaign.