Chelsea Welcomes Joao Felix Back on a Permanent Deal
Chelsea has secured the permanent signing of Joao Felix from Atletico Madrid. The Portuguese forward, who impressed during a loan spell with the Blues last season, has signed a seven-year contract.
Felix, 24, joins a growing list of new arrivals at Stamford Bridge this summer, including Omari Kellyman, Tosin Adarabioyo, Marc Guiu, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Renato Viega, Caleb Wiley, and Pedro Neto.
The transfer fee for Felix is reported to be around £44.5 million, with Atletico Madrid retaining a sell-on clause.
He told the Chelsea website: “I’m really happy to be back at Chelsea and can’t wait to get started. I’m seeing a few familiar faces from when I was last here which is always nice.
“I loved my time here before and I told my friends and family that one day I would like to come back to the Premier League. To do it with Chelsea is a great feeling and I’m excited to be back.”
Felix signed for Atleti in 2019 for a mammoth €126m (£113m) – the fourth-highest transfer fee in history – but has come close to repaying that outlay with just 34 goals in 131 games. He managed ten goals for Barca last season when he fell out with former manager Diego Simeone.
Aston Villa, who have qualified for the UEFA Champions League, had previously pursued a deal with manager Unai Emery an admirer of the former Benfica prodigy.
His return to west London is the latest deal between Chelsea and Atleti, with Conor Gallagher’s move to Spain also confirmed on Wednesday.
Felix is ​​another creative option for manager Enzo Maresco in the final third. Christopher Nkunku and Cole Palmer started on the wings in Chelsea’s Premier League opener against Manchester City, with Enzo Fernandez in the number 10 position behind striker Nicolas Jackson.
