After over a week of negotiations, Chelsea look to have reached an agreement with Atletico Madrid for Portuguese forward Joao Felix. The 24-year-old is in Atletico’s matchday squad for their season debut against Villarreal, but may have played his final minutes for the club.
As per The Athletic, Chelsea and Atletico have agreed on a deal for Felix, with personal terms long-since settled. Felix has given the green light for a move, and will sign a six-year deal with an option for a further season, meaning he will be at least 30 years of age when his contract expires.
El Chelsea autoriza a Conor Gallagher a viajar de nuevo a Madrid. https://t.co/jNoEtSYnnm
— Matteo Moretto (@MatteMoretto) August 19, 2024
Meanwhile Chelsea midfielder Conor Gallagher has been given permission to travel to Madrid for a second time to complete a €42m move to Atletico. The England midfielder had to return to London after the initial move stalled due to the collapse of Samu Omorodion’s move to Chelsea. With Felix’s move now on, his switch should also go through.
We are going to COOK. 🏴😍pic.twitter.com/aynyKF2fIc
— Atletico Universe (@atletiuniverse) August 19, 2024
There has been no figures provided for Felix’s move, although previously it was thought that the fee would be between €40m and €45m, with variables on top of that. With five years left on his deal, and a high salary, Los Rojiblancos will no doubt be reluctant to take the hit on the transfer fee, having signed him for €127m, but relieved to have his salary off their books. It seemed unlikely Felix and manager Diego Simeone would reconcile their differences.
