Chelsea transfer: João Félix agrees loan – Atletico Madrid star to turn down Arsenal and Man United?

Already €344m invested  

Over €344 million and counting. Chelsea‘s investment in new players under American owner Todd Boehly seems to have no limits this season. The latest target? Atlético Madrid’s out of favor João Félix. According to a report by The Athletic, the 23-year-old Portuguese midfielder has already verbally agreed to a loan deal that would cost Chelsea around €11m, which would bring the Premier League side’s transfer spending this season to €355m (overview). 

Whether that means that a deal will actually get across the line is another question. Chelsea, under Boehly, have had a track record this season in which they were heavily linked to a player, with a transfer reportedly agreed, just to see the deal fall apart at the last moment. The most prominent example is the recent transfer drama surrounding Enzo Fernández. And indeed, Félix has other options as Arsenal and Manchester United remain interested in the 23-year-old forward. 

Atlético Madrid acquired Félix from Benfica for a club record €127.2 million in the summer of 2019. That transfer made the Portuguese attacking midfielder the fifth most expensive transfer in history and just one of 12 players with an eight-digit transfer fee (overview). 

João Félix never fulfilled his record deal potential – A new start at Chelsea?

Back in 2019, the transfer was considered a major surprise, as the LaLiga side beat out major competition to land the wunderkind. But Félix never fulfilled the high expectations during his time in the Spanish capital. Struggling for consistent playing time under head coach Diego Simeone, Félix’s best year was last season when he scored eight goals and four assists in 24 LaLiga games. 

In fact, there was some hope in Spain that Félix had finally achieved some sort of breakthrough last season. But Félix was unable to build on that campaign and has scored just four goals and three assists while only playing 649 minutes across 14 LaLiga games this season. As a result, his market value has continued to drop from €100m when he first signed for the Spanish giants to just €50m in the latest update last November. Not surprising the player himself has been asking for change, and Atleti have since resigned themselves to the fact that they will lose the talent while not being able to recoup the transfer fee paid. 

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