Chelsea have been the big spenders in Europe this season, having amassed over €600m in fees over the two transfer windows. Big deals for Enzo Fernandez, Mykhailo Mudryk and Noni Madueke were completed in January, in which over €300m was spent.
One of the Premier League side’s more modest deals was signing Joao Felix on loan from Atletico Madrid until the end of the season. The Portuguese was keen to depart Los Rojiblancos, with the breakdown of his relationship with head coach Diego Simeone playing a big role in his desire to leave.
Chelsea are reportedly interested in keeping Felix on a permanent basis, and the player himself appears to also want the same outcome. However, that could be in doubt following remarks from Premier League chief executive Richard Masters declaring that Chelsea must sell players this summer in order to comply with Financial Fair Play rules.
According to MD, it isn’t the only sticking point with any deal. Atletico want to recuperate as much of the €127m transfer fee they paid to Benfica for Felix in 2019, but Chelsea want to pay much less for the 23-year-old as they do not value him that highly.
As such, Atletico Madrid must make a decision ahead of the summer transfer window. They need to decide whether to lower their demands, or they could offer Felix to another club for their previous asking price.
