Joao Felix has “agreed personal terms” with Chelsea, as the Blues and Atletico Madrid are close to reaching an agreement involving the forward and Conor Gallagher.
Gallagher was on the verge of finalizing his move to the La Liga club, but the deal stalled after Chelsea’s attempt to sign Samu Omorodion from Atletico fell through.
In response, the Premier League club shifted their focus to a deal for Felix, who had previously spent half a season on loan in west London in 2023.
This situation has left Gallagher in a state of uncertainty, as he returned from Spain this week and is now training with Chelsea’s Under-21s until his future is settled.
Further discussions between Chelsea and Atletico are expected this weekend as they seek to resolve the deadlock, according to “The Telegraph.”
Atletico needs to raise funds to finalize the Gallagher deal, with Felix’s departure being crucial. Chelsea has yet to agree on a fee for the Portuguese international, but the transfer seems to be edging closer, with Fabrizio Romano reporting that Felix has “said yes” to contract terms with the Blues after a fresh round of talks on Friday.
The report also clarifies that suggestions of Atletico demanding €60million (£51m) for the 24-year-old are “not accurate.”
Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca declined to comment on the deal during a press conference on Friday, also remaining silent about the club’s pursuit of Victor Osimhen. The Nigerian international is expected to leave Napoli before the end of the month, with Maresca’s side leading the race.
“The only thing I can say is they are not our players, so it’s not correct to talk about a Napoli player or Atletico Madrid player,” Maresca said.
“The club knows exactly what I think in terms of what we need, and hopefully before we finish the transfer window, we can bring in some players.”
Meanwhile, Gallagher will not be considered for selection in Chelsea’s opening game of the season against Manchester City on Sunday, as he has been relegated to the Under-21s alongside fellow exiles Trevoh Chalobah and Romelu Lukaku.
“Conor is back and training a little bit apart. He is doing some medical tests and some training, and he won’t be involved for this game,” Maresca said.
“Also, because at this moment, he is trying to find a solution with the club, so we’ll see what happens.
“I’ve said many times since we started, unfortunately, these kinds of things happen every summer… all the clubs have some problems because players want to leave, and clubs want players to leave.
“But in the end, it finishes with all of them happy, so hopefully for Conor, his situation ends with everyone happy.”
