Chelsea have reached a verbal agreement to sign Portuguese international Joao Felix from La Liga behemoths Atletico Madrid on a loan deal, according to a report in The Athletic.
Joao Felix, who has been heavily linked with a move away from Atletico Madrid in the January transfer window, is finally set to join another club. The Portugal national football team star had also attracted transfer interest from Manchester United and Arsenal.
Joao Felix, who Atletico Madrid made their expensive signing when they acquired his services from Benfica in 2019, has been playing for the Spanish outfit ever since. Felix, who was part of the Portugal national football team that participated in FIFA World Cup 2022, has featured in 20 games for Atletico Madrid so far in the 22/23 season. Of those 20 games, he featured in 11 as a starter while he came off the bench as a substitute in the rest.
Joao Felix has also scored five goals for Atletico Madrid in the ongoing 22/23 season. The 23-year-old has also racked up three assists for the La Liga side in the current season.
Read More: Graham Potter Provides Injury Update on Christian Pulisic & Raheem Sterling
Chelsea expected to pay a loan fee in the region of €11m to sign Joao Felix
The Athletic report that Chelsea are expected to pay a loan fee in the region of €11m to sign Joao Felix from Atletico Madrid. That fee is less than what Atletico Madrid had initially wanted. However, a deal has not yet been signed.
Meanwhile, Chelsea are looking to bolster their squad in the January transfer window and are expected to make more signings.
The Blues are currently struggling for form and find themselves sitting 10th in the Premier League points table. Chelsea have 25 points from 17 matches in the English top flight in the 22/23 season.
The west London outfit are 19 points short of Arsenal, who are the table-toppers with 44 points from 17 matches. Chelsea are also as close to the relegation zone as they are to the nearest top-four spot.
Meanwhile, Chelsea have also been already knocked out of FA Cup and EFL Cup by Manchester City. However, they remain in contention for the Champions League title, where they have qualified for the round-of-16, where they will face Borussia Dortmund.
Chelsea, meanwhile, will face Fulham in a Premier League fixture in their next game. The match between Chelsea and Fulham kicks off at 1:30 am Indian Standard Time on January 13.
