Chelsea are working on a deal to re-sign Atletico Madrid forward Joao Felix after a move for striker Samu Omorodion collapsed on Sunday. The Blues’ shifting their focus to Joao Felix is mainly for Conor Gallagher to join Atletico Madrid.
Felix, 24, spent six months on loan at Chelsea in 2023, scoring four goals in 16 Premier League appearances. As he is not a part of Diego Simeone’s plans at Atletico, the Portugal international spent the last season on loan at Barcelona. While Barcelona have been eager to sign him permanently from Atletico, lack of finances have seen a move not materialise thus far.
And now the player’s agent—Jorge Mendes—is now reportedly in talks with Chelsea to get a deal over the line, with Atletico valuing Felix at around €50m. Discussions between the Blues and the Los Rojiblancos for the 24-year-old forward have accelerated after the former announced the signing of Pedro Neto from Wolves at the weekend.
Samu Omorodion’s transfer collapsing could now see the Pensioners push for the signing of Napoli striker Victor Osimhen, who could be brought on loan with an option to buy. Napoli have already agreed personal terms on a three-year contract with Romelu Lukaku but have yet to match Chelsea’s asking price for the Belgium international.
Lukaku doesn’t feature in new head coach Enzo Maresca’s plans at Stamford Bridge and has been told to find a new club after spending the last two seasons out on loan at Inter Milan and AS Roma. As things stand, the 30-year-old is desperate to reunite with Antonio Conte at Napoli.
Chelsea are open to offers for Raheem Sterling and Noni Madueke
Like Lukaku, Chelsea are willing to part ways with Raheem Sterling if Felix is acquired permanently from Atletico. Sterling has flattered to deceive at Chelsea since arriving from Manchester City in the summer of 2022. The club is open to moving on the England international this summer after failing to live up to lofty expectations and huge billing at Stamford Bridge.
The Blues are also open to offers for Noni Madueke and Trevoh Chalobah, with the latter not getting included in the pre-season tour of the United States. Madueke, meanwhile, has been attracting interest from Newcastle United. The 22-year-old could be sold in the final weeks of the summer transfer window after Chelsea signed Neto.
Having signed many players in the last couple of months, the Blues are likely to focus on offloading players to trim their wage bill and subsequently comply with FFP.
I am Rohan Sengupta from one of the busiest cities in India, Mumbai. A Journalism graduate with a keen interest in sports, football is something I simply cannot live without and writing, discussing and analyzing the game is what I do 24*7.
