Chelsea have completed the signing of Joao Felix from Atletico Madrid.
The Athletic reported on Tuesday that a deal of approximately £44.5million ($58m) had been agreed between the clubs. There are no add-ons in the agreement but Atletico have negotiated a sell-on clause.
Joao Felix, 24, has signed a six-year contract at Chelsea with the option of an additional 12 months. Joao Felix will fit within Chelsea’s wage structure, with performance-related bonuses.
The move sees Joao Felix return to Chelsea having spent the second half of the 2022-23 season on loan at the west London club, scoring four goals in 20 appearances.
“I’m really happy to be back at Chelsea and I can’t wait to get started,” Joao Felix said. “I can see some familiar faces from the last time I was here, which is always nice.
“I loved my time here before and I told my friends and family that I’d love to return to the Premier League one day. To do that with Chelsea is a great feeling and I’m excited to be back.”
Joao Felix previously spent six months on loan at Chelsea under Graham Potter, Bruno Saltor and Frank Lampard (Naomi Baker/Getty Images)
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The Athletic reported last week that Chelsea had opened talks with their La Liga counterparts regarding a deal to sign Joao Felix following the collapse of Atletico striker Samu Omorodion’s proposed move to Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea’s move for Joao Felix has paved the way for Conor Gallagher to complete his switch to Atletico. The midfielder flew to Madrid on Tuesday evening to complete the €42m move and it was officially announced on Wednesday morning.
Joao Felix spent last season on loan at Barcelona, registering 10 goals and six assists in 44 games.
Before joining Barcelona, the Portugal forward extended his Atletico contract until June 2029. He joined Atletico from Benfica in the summer of 2019 for €126m and has scored 34 goals in 131 matches for the Spanish side.
Joao Felix Becomes Chelsea’s ninth summer signing, following the arrivals of Tosin Adarabioyo, Omari Kellyman, Marc Guiu, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Renato Veiga, Caleb Wiley, Aaron Anselmino and Pedro Neto.
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Joao Felix to Chelsea: The Athletic 500 transfer ratings
(Top photo: Jurij Kodrun/Getty Images)
