Chelsea are reportedly considering extending Joao Felix’s loan from Atletico Madrid, with Mauricio Pochettino set to have a key say on his future.
WHAT HAPPENED? The Portuguese star joined Chelsea on a six-month loan in January, with no buy option included in the final deal. According to the Evening Standard, Chelsea are now weighing up Felix’s position in the squad, and the opinion of incoming manager Pochettino will have paramount importance before a final decision is taken. Pochettino is reportedly the frontrunner to succeed Graham Potter as Chelsea boss, but a final contract has yet to be signed. The Blues could still make a permanent offer for Felix, but another loan deal is also being considered ahead of the summer transfer window.
THE BIGGER PICTURE: Atletico reportedly want £88m for the player and are currently unwilling to negotiate on that price tag. However, the Evening Standard suggests that a fee of around £68m might be enough to convince the Spanish outfit to part ways with Felix.
Chelsea are looking to prune their overloaded squad and remain keen to offer a cash-plus player deal, but it is likely that Atletico would prefer a lump sum so that they could re-invest the money in improving their squad.
AND WHAT’S MORE: The Rojiblancos could also accept a loan deal to keep Felix’s £270,000-a-week wages off their books and charge Chelsea a loan fee of around £16m for another season. With Diego Simeone set to remain in charge next season at the Wanda Metropolitano, Felix will likely continue to stay away from the club after the pair had a reported fallout earlier in this campaign.
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WHAT NEXT FOR FELIX? The forward will hope to impress when Chelsea host Brentford on Wednesday in the Premier League.
Source: goal.com
