by FIX FOR FELIX CHELSEA are on the brink of signing Joao Felix on loan – but the deal reportedly rests on one major condition being met.
The Blues joined the race for the Atletico Madrid forward to stun Arsenal and Manchester United.
Joao Felix is closing in on a loan to Chelsea
The deal rests on a certain condition being met
They will pay a £10million loan fee to bring Felix, 23, to Stamford Bridge for the remainder of the season.
According to Marca, the paperwork is almost complete to confirm the transfer, with NO option to make the switch permanent.
However, the Spanish newspaper insist Atletico will not sign off the contracts just yet though.
That is because the LaLiga giants will demand Felix extends his contract at the Wanda Metropolitano by an extra 12 months to 2027 before he is allowed to leave on loan.
The Portuguese star has three-and-a-half years left on his current deal but Atleti want to protect themselves and help balance the books.
Should Felix agree to the new contract, the move to Chelsea will go ahead after he snubbed interest from the Emirates and Old Trafford.
Atletico Madrid are keen to let the Portuguese forward go because he has made it clear he no longer wants to play for the club and keeping an unhappy player around could disrupt the dressing room harmony.
Felix joined Atletico from Benfica for £112m in 2019 but the former Golden Boy winner has not progressed as well as many predicted
He has managed 34 goals in 131 appearances but did help Atleti win LaLiga in 2020-21 then was named the club’s player of the year last season.
On the international stage, Felix has 28 senior caps for Portugal with four goals, including one at the Qatar World Cup in the dramatic win over Ghana.
It is not exactly clear where Graham Potter would want to deploy him in the Chelsea team due to his versatility in attack.
One option could see him go in as a No9 and play up front on his own but the 5ft 11ins forward would likely prefer to play either slightly deeper, wider or with a strike partner.
