Chelsea will spend £9 million to sign a forward from Atletico Madrid Joao Felix
An announcement is expected on Wednesday regarding Chelsea's £9 million deal to borrow Atletico Madrid forward Joao Felix for six months.The Portuguese international received attention from Arsenal and Manchester United, but he decided to finish the season with the Blues, who will also pay his £5.3 million salary.
With 10 first-team players sidelined for last Sunday's pathetic 4-0 FA Cup loss to Manchester City, manager Graham Potter is currently dealing with an injury issue.
Felix rose to the fifth-most expensive player in the world after Atletico paid £113 million to sign him away from Benfica as a 19-year-old in 2019. However, Felix's performances for the LaLiga team have not consistently been worth the price, so it is hoped that he can find his form again in the Premier League. The 23-year-old was also a part of Portugal's World Cup performance in Qatar last month, scoring in the 3-2 win over Ghana in the group stage.
After an enormous £250 million transfer splurge in the summer and the acquisitions of striker David Fofana and defender Benoit Badiashile earlier in January, Felix will mark the 13th signing of owner Todd Boehly's reign. He will also be the team's first hire following Boehly's resignation from his position as acting sports director, which was followed by the hiring of Paul Winstanley and Christopher Vivell to lead Chelsea's hiring campaign earlier this season.
Despite a run of just one victory in eight league games, which has left them in 10th place, PA is aware that Potter's position as manager is currently secure since the board is sure he will continue to be the best person to maximize Boehly's investment.