Chelsea has completed the signing of Joao Felix on loan from Atletico Madrid until the end of the season. The Portuguese forward has joined the Blues, beating out Premier League rivals Manchester United and Arsenal, neither of which were willing to fork up the €11 million (£9.69 million) loan fee plus salary. According to Atletico, Felix has agreed to extend his contract with the Spanish club by one year, bringing the total length of his contract to June 2027. Felix made the trip to London on Tuesday for his physical before joining Chelsea for the remainder of the campaign.
“I’m thrilled to be here and playing at Stamford Bridge because Chelsea is one of the best teams in the world, and I hope to assist the squad achieve its goals,” Joao Felix said after completing his move to Chelsea.
The 23-year-old joins Benoit Badiashile, David Datro Fofana, and Andrey Santos as Chelsea’s fourth new recruits this month. In 2019, Felix moved from Benfica to Atletico in a €126 million (£111 million) transfer. Due to his strained relationship with manager Diego Simeone, the La Liga team was ready to allow Felix, who has five goals and three assists in all competitions this season, to depart on loan in January.
“Because I don’t see Joao Felix playing here, it’s not a surprise. With Diego Simeone, it was a relationship that was irreparably broken. We were aware that he was departing, but we didn’t even anticipate him returning to Atletico Madrid after the World Cup. They had no choice but to do it,” Fernando Kallas said. “Simeone won’t be his coach, and he just extended his contract with Atletico, so will he be leaving at the end of the current campaign? In Spain, that is the most often asked question. According to rumors, Simeone’s relationship with the board and Atletico’s owners is becoming more difficult. He’s a really difficult man to work with because of his strong opinions.”
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