Joao Felix reaches verbal agreement to join Chelsea on loan: Report
Atletico Madrid playmaker Joao Felix has reached a verbal agreement to join Chelsea on loan, according to a report the Athletic.
The Blues are expected to pay in the region of €11million (£9.68m) fee, which is below what their La Liga counterparts initially wanted, the report added.
Manchester United and Arsenal were also interested in securing the Portuguese’s signature but it looks like the 23-year-old has his heart set on Stamford Bridge.
Last month Atletico chief executive Miguel Angel Gil Marin had said that Felix will probably be leaving the Spanish side.
“The reasonable thing is to think he (Joao Felix) will leave,” he said to TVE. “Although I would love him to stay, that is not the player’s idea.”
Felix has scored five goals and regered three asss in 20 appearances for the Rojiblancos. He also started in the recent match against Barcelona on Sunday which his side suffered a narrow 1-0 loss.
Chelsea, meanwhile, have been on a downfall with their latest loss coming at the hands of Manchester City in the FA Cup on Sunday. This was Chelsea’s second loss to City in less than three days, having already tasted a 1-0 defeat in the Premier League in midweek.
And this time it was a 4-0 thrashing, without even needing Erling Haaland and Kevin De Bruyne.
City’s top two players were given a rest after the 1-0 win over Chelsea on Thursday yet they weren’t especially missed, with Riyad Mahrez, Julián Álvarez and Phil Foden scoring first-half goals and Mahrez adding another late on in a third-round cruise.
