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Joao Felix has made it clear to Chelsea he wants to make a surprise return to Stamford Bridge.
Transfer plans have taken a dramatic turn at Stamford Bridge after a deal to sign striker Samu Omorodion from Atletico Madrid collapsed last night.
The 20-year-old was set to complete a switch to west London from the Spanish capital after the clubs had already agreed on a £34.5million fee.
But negotiations broke down due to reported issues with Omorodion’s contract and the transfer has fallen through.
In a surprising twist, Chelsea have pivoted towards re-signing Felix from the La Liga giants in a deal which could be worth around £40million.
And now the Portugal international has also indicated his desire to return to the Premier League in a permanent move to the club where he spent half a season on loan in 2023, reports The Telegraph.
Atletico are understood to value Felix at around £43million but it’s thought Chelsea could land him for an initial fee of less than £40million.
Felix, 24, is reportedly also willing to take a significant pay cut to fit into Chelsea’s wage structure.
His agent Jorge Mendes is still in London negotiating his potential return and talks remain ongoing, according to Fabrizio Romano.
It comes after Chelsea confirmed a £54million deal to bring in Wolves winger Pedro Neto, who shares the same agent as Felix.
The Spanish club need to sell players in order to facilitate the £81m signing of Julian Alvarez from Manchester City, as well as the £33m deal for Chelsea’s own Conor Gallagher.
Chelsea didn’t take up the option to buy Felix at the end of the 2022/23 campaign but a deal this time around could potentially suit all parties.
He was sent off on his debut and only scored four goals in 20 appearances in his previous stint at the club.
It’s also been clear this summer that Felix isn’t part of Atletico’s plans and they are keen to move him on but his wages, reported to be almost £100,000-a-week, have proved to be an issue thus far.
Felix is one of the most expensive footballers in history and the £108.8m Atletico paid Benfica for him remains the fifth highest fee ever.
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