Atletico Madrid forward Joao Felix is set to return to Chelsea after spending six months with the Blues in 2023.
Chelsea brought Joao Felix in on loan for the second half of the 2022/23 season and are now close to re-signing him permanently.
The club have also been linked with Juventus winger Federico Chiesa, but Fabrizio Romano has claimed that Chelsea preferred Felix over Chiesa.
Felix’s move to Chelsea will allow Conor Gallagher to join Atletico, who have been looking to sell a player to the Blues in order to bring in their midfielder this summer.
Where could Joao Felix play at Chelsea this season?
Felix is a very versatile attacker, able to play behind the striker, out wide and up top. Those are the positions he was used in during his first spell at Chelsea.
However, there is a possibility that Enzo Maresca uses him a bit differently at Stamford Bridge this season.
A report from The Athletic has suggested that he could be deployed as an advanced No.8 on the left.
Maresca has plenty of options in attack and midfield, so it certainly will be interesting to see what he does with Felix during this campaign.
Joao Felix transfer fee
Chelsea are not going to smash any records to land Felix, but the club are still going to end up spending a fair bit of money on him.
According to Sky Sports, Chelsea will be paying Atletico around £46m for Felix’s signature, which is likely to draw criticism.
Many will feel that that could be going towards a proven centre-forward, something the squad looks in desperate need of.
Chelsea relied heavily on Nicolas Jackson last season, while the 23-year-old quickly reminded everyone in the game against Manchester City that he is not the most clinical No.9 after missing a couple of good opportunities.
Craig Burley has slammed Jackson’s decision-making, but he may have to get used to it, with Chelsea choosing to prioritise signing Felix over another striker.
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