Chelsea to complete Joao Felix signing

Carlo Garganese

• 10 Jan 2023 13:00 GMT
• 3 min read

Chelsea have completed the €11 million loan signing of Joao Felix, with official confirmation to arrive soon.

The Blues have agreed a deal to sign Felix on loan until the end of the season from parent club Atletico Madrid.

Chelsea will pay 100 per cent of Felix’s wages until the end of the current season.

Premier League 2022/23 January transfers: All the Done Deals

The attacker will then return to Atletico once the 2022-23 campaign ends, unless a permanent deal is agreed with Chelsea.

Before officially becoming a Chelsea player, Felix will extend his contract at Atletico until 2027. This is merely a tactic to protect his transfer value in the event of a possible permanent sale.

Felix will fly to London on Tuesday for his medical and the deal will then become official.

Felix signed for Atletico in 2019 for a club-record €126m (£113m) fee, after an impressive 2018-19 season at Benfica.

However, he has not lived up to his promise with Atletico and has a bad relationship with manager Diego Simeone. This season he has scored five goals in 20 games.

Chelsea need goals

Chelsea moved for Felix as they searched for a top-class attacker in the January transfer window.

The Blues have struggled badly in front of goal this season, scoring just 20 goals in 17 Premier League games - the lowest amount in the top half of the table.

This has contributed to a disastrous season so far, in which Chelsea find themselves 10th in the Premier League and at risk of failing to qualify for the Champions League.

They are also out of both the League Cup and FA Cup, with only the Champions League representing the opportunity to win a trophy.

Chelsea set a world record for money spent in a transfer window during the summer, and are already spending heavily in January.

They have signed Benoit Badiashile from Monaco, Molde’s David Datro Fofana and Vasco da Gama’s Andrey Santos for almost €70m in total.