Atletico Madrid president confirms Chelsea decision over Joao Felix transfer
By Tom Gott
Atletico Madrid president Enrique Cerezo has confirmed that Chelsea do not plan to pursue a permanent deal for on-loan forward Joao Felix.
Felix joined Chelsea in January on an expensive six-month loan deal which did not include an option to buy, but club officials had been in negotiations with Atletico to determine the cost of a permanent transfer.
Those talks began while Graham Potter was in charge, however, and with Mauricio Pochettino now in the dugout, the situation has changed and it is the Argentine who has made the final call on Felix's future.
"The truth is that I can't tell you the plan with Joao," Cerezo said. "It's the news we had yesterday, that the new coach doesn't count on him for Chelsea.
"We don't have anything planned yet, Joao is an Atletico player now."
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Felix has spoken openly about his desire to remain at Stamford Bridge beyond this summer but now appears set to return to Atletico, ending his stint in England with four goals in 20 appearances for Chelsea.
The 23-year-old remains under contract with Atletico until 2027 and Chelsea always had concerns over the cost of any potential deal, and at Pochettino's request, have now abandoned plans to pursue a permanent transfer.
Chelsea have already wrapped up the signing of Christopher Nkunku from RB Leipzig and will welcome both Malo Gusto and Levi Colwill back from their respective loan deals as Pochettino's squad continues to grow.
Talks have also been held over Sporting CP midfielder Manuel Ugarte, while Brighton's Moises Caicedo and West Ham's Declan Rice are of interest as well.
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