Joao Felix offers clue on Chelsea future but needs compromise over demands
Joao Felix is interested in completing a permanent move to Chelsea - but a deal may not be possible due to his hefty price tag.
Felix, 23, joined the Blues on loan from Atletico Madrid in January and has done reasonably well since. The Portugal international has scored three goals in 14 Premier League appearances and shown glimpses of his quality, although more was expected from the talent.
It's believed Chelsea are considering making an offer to Atletico for Felix, but it will be tough for them to meet the Spanish club's demands. Atletico want €100million (£87m) for the forward, who they signed from Benfica in a £113m deal four years ago.
A video of Felix discussing his future has gone viral on social media. He said: "I don't know yet my future, but these four or five months, I've loved it. It's a top club. Everyone in the club was very good to me. My team-mates, unbelievable. I really like to be here."
Felix was regarded as one of the best young footballers on the planet when he became the most expensive teenager in the history four years ago. He won the prestigious Golden Boy award in 2019, crowning him as Europe's best young male footballer.
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Yet Felix has failed to live up to his billing, scoring just 25 goals in 96 LaLiga appearances for Atletico. That being said, Atletico do not want to lose him on the cheap. They recently handed Felix a new long-term contract to protect their asset.
The Portugal international has shown glimpses of his quality at Stamford Bridge (Manuel Reino Berengui/Getty Images)Do you think Chelsea should sign Joao Felix on a permanent deal? Let us know in the comments below!
Atletico have already recuperated some their £113m investment after Chelsea paid them a loan fee of £9.7m, a considerable amount for a half-season. There's a possibility the Blues could agree another loan deal for Felix if they are unwilling to pay £87m.
The biggest sticking point in a permanent move to Chelsea is Financial Fair Play (FFP). The Blues have spent more than £500m on fresh talent since Todd Boehly's consortium completed a takeover a year ago, making them the biggest spenders in Europe.
Chelsea gave the likes of Enzo Fernandez, Mykhaylo Mudryk and Benoit Badiashille huge contracts to spread out the cost of their transfers, which will hamper in them in windows to come. For example, Fernandez's contract doesn't expire until June 2031.
Chelsea's budget will also be impacted by their failure to qualify for the Champions League, Europa League or Europa Conference League. As such, they will probably need to sell a number of players this summer to free up some space in their budget.
The likes of N'Golo Kante, Mateo Kovacic, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Christian Pulisic, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Trevoh Chalobah, Mason Mount, Hakim Ziyech, Conor Gallagher and Cesar Azpilicueta have been linked with summer transfers.
Felix's Chelsea future will also depend on Mauricio Pochettino's opinion of him. The former Tottenham boss is set to be announced as Chelsea's new manager, replacing interim boss Frank Lampard. The latter has won just one of his nine games in charge.
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