Joao Felix’s return to Chelsea certainly hasn’t worked out how everyone would have hoped.
Back in 2023, Joao Felix enjoyed a bright spell on loan with Chelsea, where he impressed during a turbulent time at Stamford Bridge.
It was still a surprise when the Blues re-signed the Portuguese attacker on a permanent deal in the 2024 summer transfer window. Unfortunately, last season was a tough one for him.
Felix spent the first half of the 2024/25 campaign fighting for his spot at Chelsea, but he struggled to force his way into Enzo Maresca’s best XI. Afterwards, he endured a pretty torrid time on loan with AC Milan during the second half of the season. The Italian media were extremely harsh on Felix for his struggles at the San Siro.
| Club | Appearances | Goals | Assists |
| Chelsea | 20 | 7 | 2 |
| AC Milan | 21 | 3 | 1 |
Chelsea want to sell Felix this summer, and he’s currently part of the group of players training at Cobham while their futures are sorted.
Joao Felix rejects two proposals from Club World Cup teams
According to CaughtOffside, Chelsea want to sell Felix and the player is keen to leave West London this summer.
It is explained that the 25-year-old has already said no to approaches from Porto and Flamengo, two teams who competed at the 2025 Club World Cup tournament, which Chelsea won to become world champions.
The report says that Felix’s priority is on returning to former club Benfica, where he would be willing to accept a pay cut. At the moment, Benfica are only willing to pay €25m (£21m) for the Chelsea forward, which is the major obstacle in this transfer deal.
During a recent interview, Felix admitted he wants to join Benfica, which is where he actually started his first-team career. He actually scored 20 goals and created 11 assists in 43 senior appearances for the Portuguese giants as a young sensation.
Benfica are trying to negotiate Felix’s signing, but we’ll have to wait and see if everyone can agree on the right financial package.
What Enzo Maresca said about Joao Felix last summer
It’s frustrating that Felix wasn’t quite able to nail down a spot at Chelsea. As a result, his stock has dropped considerably because of his tough time in Milan.
Back in August 2024, Maresca shared his excitement about Felix. The Blues head coach said: “He’s a talent. The club already knows him from two years ago. The good thing about Joao is he can play different positions, inside, as a nine, outside.”
While he’s got the versatility to cover multiple positions, Felix doesn’t get close to Chelsea’s strongest line-up when everyone is fit and firing.
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