Although Chelsea are one of several sides to be offered Joao Felix's services there is still a long way to go before a deal can be done. The Portuguese forward appears to be coming to an end in his relationship with Atletico Madrid and could leave the Spanish capital as soon as January.
Having shown his qualities on the world stage in Qatar - specifically with a dazzling display against Switzerland in the 6-1 last-16 victory - Felix remains a highly thought of player across Europe. However, his disappointing output following a £100m move to Atletico in 2019 hasn't seen him elevated to the stardom expected.
Often restricted in an overly defensive set-up under Diego Simeone, Felix has only played 510 league minutes across 12 game this season. His tally of three goals and three assists in that time is impressive considering he has started less than half the matches.
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The World Cup was also revealing in that CEO Gil Marin admitted things weren't working out, saying, "Joao Felix has top level but because of his relationship with Simeone and game time… we feel that makes sense to consider potential bids to sell him."
That was then compounded when Felix himself added, "The way of playing with Portugal and then at the club is different. When the conditions are favourable, things go better." It has since become known that Chelsea are keen to take advantage of this situaiton and see him as a January option following Armando Broja's long-term injury.
Things may not be as simple as first thought though with several Premier League clubs also being offered the chance to sign him, including Arsenal, Manchester United and Newcastle. It has been complicated due to the structure of a deal after a straight loan is being tabled despite hopes of including an option to buy in the summer.
Fabrizio Romano gave an update on the move, saying, "Joao Felix’s agent has had new conversations with Chelsea to discuss about a move. But at the moment, there is nothing advanced or moving, and there are no advanced talks yet," whilst CBS' Ben Jacobs had more on the finance side.
He reports that there is an £8m fee for the loan covering six months until the end of the season plus wages to pay which would come to an extra £5.3m. Without the option to buy this creates a £13.3m investment for a player not tied to Chelsea in the long-term.
There is hope of securing a deal with a low obligation to buy after the initial loan, though Madrid are reportedly holding out for £85m despite not expecting to recoup all that they paid for him over three years ago.
Given the need for efficiency in the market, especially with so much work to be done in 2023, there is little surprise that the Blues are mulling this over before heading back into more serious discussions.
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