Chelsea have reached an agreement with Atletico Madrid for the signing of Joao Felix.
The 24-year-old, who spent the second part of the 2022/2023 season on loan at Stamford Bridge, agreed the terms of a six-year contract with the option of a further 12 months, David Ornstein of The Athletic reported.
Last week it was reported that Chelsea had begun negotiations with Atletico over a transfer to Portugal overseas after Samu Omorodion’s bid to the Premier League fell through, with the striker calling them “disrespectful” in the negotiations.
The failed deal has left Conor Gallagher, who is expected to finalise a £36m transfer to Atletico, in limbo, with the England foreigner returning to Chelsea despite agreeing non-public terms and passing a medical with the Spanish side.
And it remains in a state of uncertainty because although an agreement has been reached for Felix, Gallagher’s resolution “has not yet been finalized. “
Felix scored four goals in 20 appearances while on loan at Chelsea and scored ten goals and six assists in 44 appearances while at Barcelona last season.
The report does not reveal how much Chelsea agreed to pay for the winger, but this week it stated that Atletico were willing to necessarily swap Felix, who joined them in the summer of 2019 for a whopping €126m, for Gallagher.
Felix is said to be Chelsea’s tenth signing in the summer and manager Enzo Maresca has ridiculous wealth in his team, especially in the forward positions.
But he may soon find himself without Raheem Sterling after the England foreigner said he was seeking “clarity” over his long history at the club after being excluded from the squad for the attack against Manchester City on Sunday.
In response, Maresca said after the match: “I need all 30 players but there is no place for everyone and some have to leave. What I can say is a technical resolution and now we will see and have more clarity. ” .
“All the players, if they need Chelsea players, we have to check how we can use them. Raheem, we will receive explanations in the next few days.
Sterling’s representative said in the statement: “Raheem Sterling has a contract with Chelsea Football Club for the next 3 years. He returned to England two weeks earlier to lead individual education and had a positive pre-season with the new manager, with whom he has developed an ongoing relationship.
“He is committed, as always, to delivering on the popularity of Chelsea FC and the fans, whom he holds in mind, and given his inclusion in the club’s official pre-match dressing room this week, we expected Raheem to be involved in this weekend’s match. , somehow.
“As a team, we have had positive discussions and assurances from Chelsea FC in relation to Raheem’s long career at the club, so we hope to clarify the situation. Until then, we will continue to support Raheem’s preference to start the new season in a positive way. »