Atletico Madrid have stripped Joao Felix of the No.7 shirt following his loan spell at Chelsea. The 23-year-old forward was heavily linked with a return to Stamford Bridge on a permanent basis until Mauricio Pochettino was appointed and redrafted the Blues' summer transfer plan.
Felix featured 16 times for the west Londoners in the Premier League last season, directly contributing to just four goals. The Portugal international displayed flashes of brilliance, but he struggled to find his feet at a disjointed club.
As exclusively revealed by football.london, neither an option nor obligation to sign him permanently was included in his contract. It's believed that Felix enjoyed his time in west London and he was open to stay beyond the expiration of his loan.
However, even if Chelsea had inserted a clause, Pochettino didn't want him anyway, according to Atletico president Enrique Cerezo. Upon his return to the Metropolitano Stadium, Felix has been handed a huge blow as the Spanish giants have taken away his No.7 jersey and given it to Antoine Griezmann.
The Portuguese star had worn that shirt since joining the club in 2019 for a record-breaking fee. But, prior to his arrival in the Spanish capital, Griezmann previously donned the No.7 and won the Europa League, UEFA Super Cup and the Supercopa de Espana while doing so.
With Felix facing an uncertain future at Atletico, Diego Simeone has already left the door open for a bid this summer. Speaking to El Partidazo De COPE, as quoted BirminghamLive, the Atletico boss said: "Joao is our player.
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"If Chelsea don’t want to sign him as apparently Pochettino decided… he will be back here and he will be part of our team. I can work with him, I’ve no problem at all with Joao. He knows that."
Then, when asked if there's been any bids for Felix, Simeone replied: "Bids for Joao Felix? We have to see if the proposal will be good financially for the club, that is crucial."
Despite the Blues' lifeline, Chelsea have shown no indication that they're keen to bring Felix back to Stamford Bridge. In fact, he was spotted training in a West Ham shirt earlier this summer, sparking fresh speculation of a Premier League return.
