Joao Felix to Chelsea and the 10 most expensive loan transfers ever

Karan Tejwani

• Updated: 23 May 2023 09:00 CDT
• 2 min read

Joao Felix has completed a loan move to Chelsea in a lucrative move that will see Atletico Madrid earn €10 million for a six-month deal in Spain.

Felix moved to Atletico in 2019 but things haven’t quite worked out for him, and he has now left the club on loan, although without an option to make the deal permanent.

There was plenty of interest in Felix, including from Chelsea’s Premier League rivals Manchester United and Arsenal, but the Blues moved fastest to get a deal done.

READ: How Chelsea could line up with Joao Felix

The deal will see Chelsea cover the entirety of Felix’s wages but it comes without an option to buy the player permanently at the end of the loan period.

Chelsea pay big for Felix

The €10 million fee is one of the biggest paid for a loaned player, but not the most expensive ever as there are several others eclipsing his deal.

The largest amount was spent on Alvaro Morata, who has had a series of loans including one to Juventus in the summer of 2020 which came with an option to buy.

READ: Chelsea beat Man Utd & Arsenal to Joao Felix transfer

The Bianconeri paid a whopping €20 million for his services, eclipsing the €18.3 million Atletico paid for his loan two years before that, which is the second biggest loan fee ever.

Giovanni Lo Celso’s loan from PaSG to Tottenham is the third-biggest loan fee ever as Spurs forked out €16.3 million for a loan spell in 2019.

Just behind that is Duvan Zapata, who moved to Atalanta on loan from Sampdoria on a €14.2 million fee and he had a starring role for his new side, spurring them on to the Champions League.

James Rodriguez arrived at Real Madrid as a star but his time there wasn't as great, and he was allowed to go to Bayern Munich on a two-season deal worth €13.2 million back in 2017.

Wrapping up the top five is Carlos Tevez, whose loan from West Ham to Manchester United cost the Red Devils €12.9 million.

So, what is the rest of the top ten like, including Joao Felix’s recent move?