Manchester City have reportedly moved to steal a march on their rivals in the race to sign highly-rated Benfica attacker Joao Felix.
Felix is one of the hottest properties in European football at the moment, having enjoyed a remarkable breakthrough season which has seen him score 16 goals across all competitions.
The likes of Manchester United, Real Madrid and Juventus have all been linked with the 19-year-old, who has been dubbed 'the new Cristiano Ronaldo'.
However, Goal.com reports that Man City may now be frontrunners to secure his signature after sporting director Txiki Begiristain met with Felix's agent Jorge Mendes over a possible deal.
The Portugal Under-21 international has a €120m (£104m) release clause in his contract at the Estadio da Luz, but City are hopeful that they can drive that fee down in negotiations.
However, the English champions are eager to avoid a bidding war with some of Europe's top clubs and would prefer to tie Felix down to a contract sooner rather than later.
Barney Corkhill
