Chelsea eyeing loan deal for Atletico Madrid outcast Joao Felix
According to The Telegraph, Chelsea are eyeing up a loan deal to sign Atletico Madrid outcast Joao Felix during the January transfer window.
Felix, who was part of the Portugal national team squad in the World Cup and played well, has been on the fringes of things in Madrid under Diego Simeone.
A few weeks ago, Football.London reported that Atleti are ready to offload the player. Chelsea, Manchester United and Arsenal have been linked with him since. The latest on it is that Chelsea are looking to sign him on loan in January with an obligation to buy in the summer.
The La Liga giants signed Felix for £112.9m from Benfica in the summer of 2019. They know that amount won’t be recuperated while selling the player, but some of it can.
Chelsea manager Graham Potter is eyeing up this move to bolster his attacking options for the second half of this season. The Athletic (subscription required) reported that the club were looking to sign the striker even before Armando Broja picked up a season-ending injury during the friendly against Aston Villa earlier this month.
Felix is a versatile forward player who can score goals, create chances, dribble past defenders and work hard off the ball. Although he has been short on game time and confidence at Atleti, his World Cup campaign showed the player is still capable of producing magical moments.
Mind you, the Portugal international is only 23 and has the room and time to improve his game. If Chelsea manage to scalp him next month, Potter can work with him and iron the rough edges of his game.
In return, the former Benfica man can offer something different to the Blues forward line and help us score goals and win games. We need inspiration up front if we are to have a strong finish to the season.
More Chelsea News:
- Fabrizio Romano: Chelsea in advanced talks to sign Benoit Badiashile, official proposal submitted
- Transfer News: Chelsea register interest in Real Sociedad midfielder Martin Zubimendi
- Joe Cole urges Chelsea to make a bid for World Cup winner Emiliano Martinez
We just have to make sure that the deal contains an option, rather than an obligation to buy – if it does come to fruition. The deal for Saul Niguez proved that an audition period can be beneficial when it comes to a foreign player joining the Premier League.