Chelsea are close to signing Joao Felix on a loan deal until the end of the season, football.london understands.
As reported by David Ornstein of The Athletic, the Blues are close to signing the Portugal international, beating off interest from Manchester United and Arsenal.
As football.london reported midway through last month, Chelsea have scouted the 23-year-old on numerous occasions this season. However, at the time, the Blues only had a tentative interest in the Portuguese forward, but it looks as if that has ramped up in recent days.
Felix has been the recipient of interest from the Premier League after it became clear his future at Atletico was unclear. The Spanish club were hopeful of agreeing a permanent departure but after spending £113million for Felix in 2019, acquiring a fee close to the one paid nearly four years ago seemed nearly impossible.
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A loan departure seemed to be the best possible scenario but even then Atletico's demands of €21million (£18.5million) package for the remainder of this season, with a €15million (£13.2million) loan fee going to Atletico, and the rest covering the player’s wages, were too high.
However, Felix now looks to be close to joining Chelsea and it has certainly caused a mixed reaction among the Chelsea fan base, with it seeming clear the 23-year-old will only be in west London until the end of the season. Here is how Twitter reacted:
@akugataubodo - JOAO FELIX TO CHELSEA ON LOAN! THIS IS NOT A DRILL.
@ExpectedChelsea - If there's no buy clause at a reasonable fee, we're effectively paying money to rehab another team's player while having nothing to gain. What are we doing exactly?
@JoeTweedie - There's definitely a conversation required about why #CFC continue to overlook the need to completely overhaul the entirety of their midfield in lieu of every other area of the pitch. But hey. Another shiny forward. On loan.
@AGMacDougall - Kai struggling, injuries to Broja, Sterling, Pulisic, and Auba flopping means we probably need another body up front...
@FrankMind26 - No one knows what we are doing this season tbh
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