Enrique Cerezo, the president of the Spanish club, announced that Joao Felix is returning to Atletico Madrid after Chelsea decided not to sign the Portugal winger on a permanent basis following his loan agreement
Felix, 23, joined Chelsea on loan in January for the balance of the 2022–23 season. He made 20 appearances for the Blues and scored four goals.
After a challenging season in which they placed a pitiful 12th in the Premier League, Chelsea announced on Monday that Mauricio Pochettino had been named as their new head coach. Additionally, Cerezo reportedly told Felix: “The truth is that I can’t tell you the plan with Joao,” as quoted by Marca.
“It’s the news that the new coach doesn’t want him for Chelsea, as we learned yesterday. We don’t yet have any plans because Joao is currently a player for Atletico. In 2019, Atletico paid £113 million to Benfica to acquire Felix, who has a deal with them through 2027.
He scored 34 goals in 131 games for Diego Simeone’s team, helping them win the LaLiga championship in 2020–21. The 23-year-old is still bound to Atletico until 2027 by his current contract, and Chelsea has always been wary of the cost of any potential transfer.
At Pochettino’s suggestion, Chelsea has now abandoned its ambitions to pursue a long-term transfer.
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