Joao Felix has taken a step towards completing his six-month loan switch to Chelsea. football.london were told on Monday afternoon that the Atletico Madrid striker was close to joining Graham Potter’s side.
The Blues have reached a verbal agreement with the La Liga outfit for around €11million (£9.7million). Felix's arrival will be a welcome boost for Potter, whose side have lost six of their previous nine matches and scored only five goals in the same time.
Today (Tuesday) transfer guru Fabrizio Romano has dropped his traditional 'here we go' tweet regarding Felix's switch to Stamford Bridge. He wrote: "Joao Felix to Chelsea, here we go! Full verbal agreement reached, loan move on €11m fee with 100% salary covered by Chelsea.
READ MORE: What Cristiano Ronaldo said about Joao Felix as Chelsea close in on Atletico Madrid transfer
"Before leaving, JF will extend contract with Atletico until 2027. Joao will fly to London in the next hours to undergo medical tests and sign."
News of Felix extending his current deal at the Estadio Metropolitano all but rules out the possibility of the 23-year-old making his loan move a permanent one in the summer. It's reported that there has never been an option to buy inserted into the deal and Felix will return to Atletico at the end of the season, with Chelsea expected to land Christopher Nkunku.
Chelsea have already made inroads in the January transfer window as Todd Boehly continues to overhaul the playing squad in SW6. Following Wesley Fofana's absence, Benoit Badiashile has arrived from AS Monaco while David Datro Fofana and Andrey Santos have signed from Molde and Vasco da Gama, respectively.
Further reinforcements are expected to come through the door before the window's deadline. A new midfielder has been labelled a priority and an extra body in Potter's offensive area could come to fruition - with PSV’s Noni Madueke emerging as a player of interest.
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