Chelsea make decision on selling £45m player ahead of transfer deadline

The Portuguese forward was one of Chelsea’s most expensive acquisitions last summer, rejoining the club from Atlético Madrid for £45 million after a six-month loan spell at Stamford Bridge in 2023.

However, the 25-year-old has struggled to make an impact this season and has found playing time in the Premier League difficult under new manager Enzo Maresca.

Felix has started just three of Chelsea’s 23 league matches this season, with players like Cole Palmer, Noni Madueke, Jadon Sancho, and Pedro Neto seemingly preferred ahead of him.

Despite being on a seven-year contract, Felix’s frustration over limited opportunities has prompted him to seek a move before the January transfer deadline.

AC Milan and Aston Villa have shown interest in securing his services, but according to Italian journalist Gianluca Di Marzio, Chelsea is only open to a permanent sale and is unwilling to agree to a loan deal without a purchase obligation.

Milan has already secured Kyle Walker on loan from Manchester City this window, though that deal only includes an option to buy. The Italian club, also monitoring Feyenoord striker Santiago Gimenez, has so far only proposed a straightforward loan for Felix.

Meanwhile, Aston Villa is having a busy end to the window after selling Jhon Duran to Saudi club Al-Nassr for a substantial fee.

Unai Emery’s team is close to finalizing loan moves for Marcus Rashford from Manchester United and Marco Asensio from Paris Saint-Germain.

Despite these imminent arrivals, Villa remains keen on signing Felix, but negotiations over a transfer fee are proving challenging.

The club also explored a loan move for Chelsea defender Axel Disasi, but progress on that front has stalled recently.

Earlier this week, Villa’s president of football operations, Monchi, confirmed the club’s interest in securing a deal for Joao Felix.

‘Emery likes him, because in the three transfer markets I have been in, the fourth with this one, he has always been mentioned and has been a small object of desire for Emery,’ he told Spanish publication AS.

‘But it is complicated and I don’t know if we will be able to do it.

‘He is a player with a lot of quality and Emery has been able to recover players who were considered lost in his history as a coach. He trusts in Joao’s talent.’