Former Atletico Madrid and Barcelona playmaker Joao Felix looks set for another move, having left Spanish football last summer. The Portuguese star has struggled for minutes at Chelsea, and now looks to be on his way to Serie A for his first taste of Spanish football.
The transfer window closes today, and Barcelona have bo activity planned for both exits and signings. @gbsans
— barcacentre (@barcacentre) February 3, 2025
After 3.5 years of trying to make things work with Atletico and manager Diego Simeone, Felix made an initial loan move to Chelsea in January of 2023, where he started off well at Stamford Bridge, before losing his spot in the team towards the end of the season. He would then return to Atletico, before Barcelona negotiated a loan for Felix last season.
Similarly, his opening games in the Catalan capital featured some magical moments, and in both games against Atletico that season, Felix turned up with goals. At Montjuic, it was his strike that separated the sides. However Xavi Hernandez also decided to jettison him from the starting XI in January of 2024.
🚨🔴⚪️ JUST IN: Atletico Madrid considers the transfer window closed. They will not make any movements in these final hours unless there is a major surprise.@mundodeportivo pic.twitter.com/xjj26zZrIA
— Atletico Universe (@atletiuniverse) February 3, 2025
Felix nevertheless expressed a desire to return though, and Barcelona President Joan Laporta and Sporting Director Deco also declared publicly that the intention was to bring him back on loan for a second season. As Atletico sought a permanent buyer though, that never came to pass, as Chelsea moved for Felix on a permanent basis, costing the London side €52m in total, as Conor Gallagher headed in the other direction for €42m.
🚨🔴⚫️ João Félix to AC Milan, here we go! Official bid accepted by Chelsea for straight loan with no buy option.
Salary covered by AC Milan and package in excess of £5m with loan fee.
João now set for AC Milan medical after his green light to the move last night. 🩺 pic.twitter.com/3xb0LO5XHP
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) February 3, 2025
Now Fabrizio Romano is reporting that Felix will join AC Milan for a €6m loan fee with no option to buy from Chelsea. It will be a fourth move in 2.5 years for the 25-year-old, who this season has been short of the desired game time he wants. Felix has 7 goals and 2 assists in his 20 appearances this year, amounting to just 947 minutes in total. At San Siro, he will have the chance to work with compatriot Sergio Conceicao.
