English club Chelsea is preparing to complete the deal to sign Portuguese star Joao Felix from Atletico Madrid.
A deal worth around £44.5m has been agreed between the two clubs – no add-ons but Atletico negotiated a sell-on clause as part of the deal.
The 24-year-old has completed a medical and personal terms have been set for a six-year contract, plus the option of a further 12 months.
Joao Felix would fit into Chelsea’s wage structure, with performance-related bonuses.
The move will see Joao Felix return to the west London club after spending the second half of the 2022-23 season on loan at Chelsea, where he scored four goals in 20 appearances.
The athlete Reports last week said the Premier League club had opened talks with their Spanish counterparts over a deal to sign Joao Felix after Atletico striker Samu Omorodion’s move to Stamford Bridge fell through.
Chelsea’s move for Joao Felix has paved the way for Conor Gallagher to complete a move to Atletico Madrid. The midfielder is set to travel to Madrid on Tuesday evening to complete the deal.
Joao Felix spent last season on loan at Barcelona, scoring 10 goals and providing six assists in 44 games.
Before joining Barcelona, the Portuguese striker extended his contract with Atletico until June 2029. He joined Atletico from Benfica in the summer of 2019 for €126 million and has scored 34 goals in 131 appearances for the Spanish side.
Joao Felix will become Chelsea’s ninth signing of the summer, following the arrivals of Tosin Adarabioyo, Omari Kelleman, Marc Jurado, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Renato Veiga, Caleb Wiley, Aaron Anselmino and Pedro Neto.
(Miguel Rioba/AFP via Getty Images)
“Food ninja. Friendly thinker. Explorer. Entrepreneur. Zombie junkie.