Chelsea have reportedly reignited their interest in Joao Felix as his future at Atletico Madrid remains uncertain. The 24-year-old forward, who recently returned from a loan spell at Barcelona, is now being linked with a potential move to Stamford Bridge.
During his time at Barcelona last season, Felix made 30 appearances in La Liga, contributing seven goals and three assists. His performances helped the Catalan club secure a second-place finish, surpassing his parent club, Atletico Madrid. However, despite his promising moments, Felix’s influence waned towards the end of his stay at Camp Nou, leading to his return to Atletico Madrid.
While Felix’s future with Atletico Madrid has been in doubt, he has still been part of Diego Simeone’s pre-season squad. Notably, Felix made an impact in a recent friendly against Juventus, scoring a goal after coming off the bench. He had also started in earlier friendlies against Getafe and Kitchee, showing flashes of his potential.
Following the Juventus match, Simeone praised Felix’s efforts, acknowledging his contribution to the team. “He played well in the 45 minutes he got against Getafe. He’s an Atlético Madrid player, and as long as he’s here, we’ll value him based on how he works, just like we do with everyone else on the team,” Simeone said.
Shortly after, reports surfaced that Chelsea had rekindled their interest in Felix. According to Fabrizio Romano, the Blues have entered negotiations with Atletico Madrid regarding a possible deal for the Portuguese forward. This renewed interest comes after a previous attempt to sign Samu Omorodion fell through.
The discussions between the two clubs reportedly include the possibility of including Felix in a deal for Chelsea’s Conor Gallagher, who recently visited Atletico Madrid. Gallagher’s agent, Jorge Mendes, is said to be in London as talks continue.
Romano also mentioned that Atletico Madrid is eager to sign Gallagher, as well as Manchester City’s Julian Alvarez, but their ability to secure these deals depends on selling a forward. Although Felix only played a limited number of games during his loan spell at Chelsea in the 2022/23 season, he managed to become a fan favorite.
In March 2023, it was revealed by football.london that Chelsea had not included an option or obligation to buy Felix permanently in his loan deal. Despite this, Felix was reportedly open to extending his stay in London. However, Chelsea’s then-new head coach, Mauricio Pochettino, was not interested in keeping Felix, according to Atletico Madrid president Enrique Cerezo, who stated in May 2023, “We’ve been informed that Pochettino does not count with Joao Felix for Chelsea. He will return here, we’ll see. We have nothing planned.”
