One former Chelsea player could be set for a return to the Premier League this summer.
Chelsea sold several of their players abroad last year, including the likes of Christian Pulisic and Ruben Loftus-Cheek, who both joined AC Milan.
Joao Felix also returned to Atletico Madrid after a brief loan spell at Chelsea before joining Barcelona for the 2023/24 season.
It was recently claimed that Atletico offered Felix to Manchester City in their bid to land Julian Alvarez.
While Felix could be leaving the Civitas Metropolitano, Chelsea midfielder Conor Gallagher is set to arrive there.
Unai Emery loves Joao Felix
Felix will not be returning to Chelsea this summer, but a move to Villa Park looks possible. Villa are thinking about signing Felix as they look to improve their attack.
And according to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, the former Chelsea player is a forward who Unai Emery loves.
In his Daily Briefing column on Substack, Romano wrote: “With Felix, keep an eye on Aston Villa because the appreciation from Villa Park is still there — Unai Emery really loves Felix as a player.
“It’s still not decided where Felix will go next, it’s not being decided now, but I wanted to clarify that he was not part of the Alvarez negotiations.”
Joao Felix’s next club
Some Chelsea fans would probably take Felix back at the club. His loan spell was not a huge success, but the 24-year-old is still a very gifted and talented attacker.
“He is a quality player,” Graham Potter said to Chelsea’s official website upon his arrival last January.
Again, though, Chelsea will not be his next club, with Enzo Maresca already possessing Cole Palmer and Christopher Nkunku.
While Emery loves Felix, Maresca is in awe of Nkunku and is likely to build his team around the likes of the Frenchman and Palmer.
Villa or another European club will probably be Felix’s next destination, though there is no guarantee that he will leave Atletico this summer.
He cost the Spanish club a lot of money and is on big wages. Whoever wants the Portugal international is going to have to pay up and they may not want to given the player’s struggles since joining Atletico.
Felix only scored seven league goals last season, which is disappointing for a forward who cost over £100m.
Receive a digest of our best Chelsea content each week direct to your mailbox
