According to Fabrizio Romano, former Chelsea striker Joao Felix could return to Stamford Bridge as part of the Conor Gallagher deal with Atletico Madrid.
The 24-year-old spent half a season with Chelsea in 2023 on loan from the Spanish club before getting loaned out to Barcelona last season.
The Portuguese international is reportedly open on a return to Stamford Bridge which emerged as a possibility after the Blues’ move for Atletico forward Samu Omorodion fell through.
Felix made 20 appearances for Chelsea, scoring four goals during a disappointing season for the Blues who finished 12th in the Premier League.
Fans reacted after Romano announced the news on X.
Welcome back and finish what you started pic.twitter.com/TV2OcNJ1bc
— Somalianbae🇸🇴🇰🇪 (@adan_zamuh) August 12, 2024
Chelsea buys all the players. Where do they get all this money from 😂
— SportsArenaTz (@SportsarenatzTz) August 12, 2024
He’s coming home 🤩 pic.twitter.com/WLISvk3JXg
— SIR CHUCHO🎖️ (@ChuchoMaine) August 12, 2024
If he signs, Chelsea need to offload two wingers.
— Karo (@Karovoni) August 12, 2024
Felix to Chelsea is a panic buy imo.
— Kyama (@ElijahKyama_) August 12, 2024
Make it happen Chelsea! 🤞🏼
— Dapp (@DappMetaX) August 12, 2024
He’s definitely going to play football at his best now
— Beri🌚 (@beri_grizou) August 12, 2024
How will Joao Felix fit into Enzo Maresca’s team?
Felix plays more as a false nine and a second striker than an out-and-out target man. The Blues currently don’t have a traditional number nine, but Felix could provide a versatile attacking option for Maresca.
The former Leicester City boss liked to play a 4-3-3 with Patson Daka up front for the Foxes. Even though he is more of a natural striker, Daka is not a target man and so it may be that Maresca is looking to play a false nine up front for the Blues.
If that is true, Felix would be a nice addition at Stamford Bridge, in his second stint for the club.
Chelsea and Atletico negotiating over part of the Conor Gallagher deal
One of the more interesting deals of the summer, Conor Gallagher’s move to Atletico needs funding, so the Spanish club is keen to offload a couple of names to balance the books.
Samu Omorodion would have covered the cost of signing Gallagher as his deal was expected to be around £35m with Gallagher costing £36m.
However, as it fell through, Atletico need to sell more players to make up for the cost, hence a possible Joao Felix to Chelsea move.
The La Liga side also agreed to sign Manchester City striker Julian Alvarez for over £80m plus add-ons. However, if they can’t offload any players then both the Conor Gallagher deal and the Julian Alvarez deal are in doubt.
