Chelsea have not seen much of Joao Felix, but already the Portuguese has made a good impression at Stamford Bridge already. On loan until the end of the season, Chelsea are already keen to sign him on a permanent deal.
Felix is open to staying at Chelsea, although if Diego Simeone leaves the Civitas Metropolitano in the summer, he may return to Madrid. If the Argentine stays, both club and player will seek an exit.
The price was reported to be around €80m for Felix’s permanent signature, bearing in mind his loan deal is thought to be around €10-12m too. However Marca say that Chelsea owner Todd Boehly wants to bring down the price by including players in a deal. One of those would be England international Mason Mount, who has become surplus to requirements following their heavy recruitment over the last two windows.
Boehly will have his work cut out though. Atleti CEO Miguel Angel Gil Marin is keen to take a cash only deal if Felix leaves. They want to recover as much of his €127m fee as possible.
The 23-year-old likely knows that this summer is an important choice in his career. If he fails to live up to his potential under a manager that isn’t Simeone, doubts about him will rise. Whereas a successful move will produce a narrative that Felix was never the obstacle to his performance in Madrid.
