Joao Felix clear on Chelsea future: 'I want to stay at AC Milan'

Tom Weber

Updated: 10 Feb 2025 15:59 GMT
4 min read

Joao Felix Chelsea AC Milan Enzo Maresca — © IMAGO

Joao Felix has spoken about his decision to join AC Milan and revealed his plans for the future after leaving Chelsea on loan.

Article continues under the video

The Portuguese attacking midfielder departed the Blues after the January window slammed shut, with the paperwork for the deal completed just in time on Deadline Day.

Felix had only arrived at Stamford Bridge - for a second time - in the summer, joining from Atletico Madrid for a whopping €53 million. At the time, it was clear that this deal could create more problems for Chelsea than it would solve.

Exactly this came to pass as the signing of Felix proved to be completely unnecessary and solely a financial exercise to balance the books, with Conor Gallagher heading the other way for hallowed 'pure profit.'

Felix struggled to become a Premier League starter under Enzo Maresca and requested to leave in January. He joined AC Milan on loan without an option to buy and Maresca recently admitted that "I don't think we miss Joao."

Felix on Milan move and Chelsea future

The 25-year-old has already made two appearances since liking up with Sergio Conceicao and his squad, even scoring on his debut against AS Roma. On Monday, he was officially unveiled at a press conference and spoke about his decision to join the Rossoneri and his Chelsea future.

“I knew about the greatness of this club, Milan are huge," Felix began. "From the outside, you can see it’s a very big club, and when you’re inside, you realise you’re in one of the biggest clubs in Europe. I already knew the coach, I had played against him, and I followed him.

“I told him what I expected: to play in my role. He never told me if I would play a lot or a little, but to play in my role. That’s what convinced me to come to Milan. For now, I’m on loan until June. Let’s see how it goes.

"At the moment, I’m really enjoying everything: the club, the people, the facilities. I’ve been welcomed very well. The most important thing is to be where I feel good, and I feel good here. Then, in football, things can change, but if there’s a possibility to stay at Milan, I would like that.

“I immediately loved the atmosphere at San Siro. I’ve experienced this kind of environment at Benfica and Atletico Madrid, but I must say the atmosphere here was different.

Felix also revealed that he idolised former Rossoneri star Kaka and confirmed that city rivals Inter also approached him in January. "My agent told me about it,” he disclosed.

“He said that Inter were interested. But I had already started talking to Milan, and I had already decided to come here. I said it would have been impossible, I had already made up my mind.”