Cristiano Ronaldo believes Joao Felix is an 'excellent player' who has a lot of potential to fulfil. In January, the 23-year-old forward signed a six-month loan deal at Stamford Bridge as Chelsea hoped to further their bolster their frontline.
Felix featured 16 times for the west Londoners in the Premier League, directly contributing towards just four goals. The Portugal international displayed flashes of brilliance but he struggled to get his feet under the table at a club which was disjointed on and off the pitch.
As exclusively revealed by football.london, neither an option nor obligation to sign Felix permanently from Atletico Madrid was included in his contract. Even if Chelsea had inserted a clause to buy the forward, Mauricio Pochettino didn't want him next season anyway, according to Atletico Madrid president Enrique Cerezo.
football.london understands Felix loved his time in west London and he was eager to stay beyond the expiration of his loan, but the newly-appointed Blues boss had other plans. However, if Pochettino changes his mind then Diego Simeone has seemingly left the door open for a bid this summer.
Speaking to El Partidazo De COPE, as quoted BirminghamLive, the Atletico boss said: "Joao is our player. If Chelsea don’t want to sign him as apparently Pochettino decided… he will be back here and he will be part of our team. I can work with him, I’ve no problem at all with Joao. He knows that."
Then, when asked if there's been any bids for Felix, Simeone replied: "Bids for Joao Felix? We have to see if the proposal will be good financially for the club, that is crucial."
Despite the Atletico boss' lifeline, Chelsea have shown no indication that they're keen to bring Felix back to Stamford Bridge. The youngster has been heavily linked with various clubs since his departure from the Blues, but he's yet to find a new home.
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While Felix is enduring a rough period in his career, Ronaldo has no qualms that his fellow countryman will fulfil his lofty potential. Speaking to Mundo Deportivo at the time of the forward's move from Benfica, the former Juventus striker said: "Can he [Felix] repeat my successes in Spain?
"I believe that a lot because he is an excellent player with a lot of potential who can evolve. You can see the same with Bernardo [Silva], although he is already much more mature in this regard.
"It is difficult to make calculations in current football. You bet a lot on the potential, and the football industry is different. Leaving aside the case of Joao Felix, any player is worth £90m, even without having proven anything.
"There is more money in football. A central defender and a goalkeeper can be worth £60m to £70m. I don't agree, but this is the world we live in, and we have to respect it."
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