Joao Felix is keen on a return to Chelsea (Picture: Getty)
Atletico Madrid are holding out for a fee of around of around €60 million (£51.2m) from Chelsea for Portuguese striker Joao Felix, according to reports in Spain.
Chelsea’s quest to bring in another striker took a dramatic twist last weekend when a deal to sign Joao Felix’s Atletico teammate, Samu Omorodion, collapsed.
The 20-year-old was set to complete a switch to west London in a deal worth £34.5million fee but negotiations broke down due to reported issues with Omorodion’s contract
Atletico, who have completed the signing of Julian Alvarez from Manchester City, have also agreed a deal to sign Conor Gallagher from Chelsea but reportedly need additional funds to get that move over the line.
Both clubs – as well as the English midfielder – are are unwilling to see the deal collapse, with Chelsea now now attempting to strike a new agreement with Atletico for Joao Felix to provide funds for Gallagher’s transfer.
The Portuguese 24-year-old, who spent six months on loan at Chelsea in 2023, is said to be willing to return to Stamford Bridge and take a pay cut in order to push the move through.
However, while Chelsea have not made an official offer thus far, reports from Spanish publication Marca suggest that there is a sizeable gap in both club’s valuation of the forward.
Joao Felix’s fee could prove a stumbling block in his potential return to Chelsea (Picture: Getty)
Chelsea are keen to pay around €40m for Joao Felix – a similar fee to that which they agreed with Atletico for Omorodion.
However, the Spanish club are keen to recoup more of the €126m fee they paid for Joao Felix in 2019 and will demand around €60m for the striker.
In order to stump up such a figure, the Blues could be forced to sell squad players to raise funds, with Raheem Sterling and Noni Madueke potential outgoings following the signing of Wolves winger Pedro Neto.
Centre-back Trevor Chalobah is another expected to depart this window having been banished from first-team training by new manager Enzo Maresca.
Joao Felix was sent off on his Chelsea debut back in 2023 and went on to score only scored four goals in 20 appearances in his previous stint at the club.
Maresca’s side get their Premier League campaign underway on Sunday against defending champions Manchester City.
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