Farewell to Chelsea
João Félix’s time at Chelsea ended when his loan ended in the summer. The 23-year-old loanee will return to his home club Atlético Madrid after just six months with the Blues, where his contract runs until June 2027. Background: Newly signed Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino apparently has no use for João Félix, who himself would have nothing against staying in London.
Atlético President Enrique Cerezo confirmed at an event in Madrid that he had been informed of Pochettino’s plans. “The truth is that I cannot tell you what is planned with João. It’s the news we received yesterday that the new manager isn’t counting on him for Chelsea. We haven’t planned anything yet, João is now an Atlético player,” said the 75-year-old, quoted via “Marca”. A purchase option was not part of the loan agreement, but the newspaper had already reported in February that Chelsea wanted to sign João Félix. There can be no more talk of that now.
Problem for Atlético: According to reports, there is currently no offer from another club for the professional. A continuation of the joint collaboration is actually considered unlikely or at least not wanted by João Félix. Most recently, it was said that Newcastle United are interested in signing.
The Portuguese international switched from Benfica to Atlético for 127.2 million euros in 2019 – only four footballers have been more expensive so far. Chelsea made the right foot the most expensive loan deal in history in January, paying a fee of 11 million euros for just six months. In return, there were four goals in 20 appearances in 1,187 minutes. In Apil Atlético boss Cerezo said: “He will have a place in the team when he comes back here, for sure.”
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