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

Chelsea will only sanction the departure of Joao Felix if it is a permanent sale or a loan with an obligation to buy, according to reports.

Joao Felix was one of Chelsea’s most expensive signings last summer, with the Portuguese forward returned to Stamford Bridge for £45 million from Atletico Madrid having spent six months on loan at Chelsea in 2023.

However, the 25-year-old has flattered to deceive this season and has found regular minutes in the Premier League hard to come by under new boss Enzo Maresca.

Joao Felix has started just three of Chelsea’s 23 league fixtures so far this campaign, with Cole Palmer, Noni Madueke, Jadon Sancho and Pedro Neto all seemingly ahead of him in the pecking order.

And despite having a seven-year contract with Chelsea, Joao Felix’s frustrations over his lack of minutes has led him to push for a late exit before January’s transfer deadline.

AC Milan and Aston Villa are two clubs interested in trying to strike a deal but, according to Italian journalist Gianluca Di Marzio, Chelsea will only consider a permanent exit for Joao Felix and are not interested in a loan deal without an obligation to buy.

Milan have already signed Kyle Walker from the Premier League this window on loan, although that deal with Manchester City only included an option to buy.

The Serie A side, who are also looking at Feyenoord forward Santiago Gimenez, have so far only proposed a straight loan deal for Joao Felix.

Villa, meanwhile, are enjoying a hectic end to the window following Jhon Duran’s big-money departure to Saudi Arabian side Al-Nassr.

Unai Emery’s side are already poised to complete the loan signings of Marcus Rashford and Marco Asensio from Manchester United and Paris Saint-Germain respecitvely.

Despite those impending deals, the Midlands club still maintain a desire to sign Joao Felix, but additional reports suggest that an agreement over a fee is proving complicated.

Villa were also interested in a loan deal for Blues defender Axel Disasi but progress on that deal has also stalled in recent days.

Speaking earlier in the week, Villa’s president of football operations Monchi confirmed the club’s interest in 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.’

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