Chelsea close to completing signing of Joao Felix from Atletico Madrid

Chelsea are close to completing the signing of João Félix from Atlético Madrid.

A deal worth around £45.5m has been agreed between the clubs – there are no add-ons but Atletico have negotiated a sell-on clause as part of the deal.

The 24-year-old has completed his six-year contract, with the option of a further 12 months, and medical and personal terms are in place.

João Félix will fit into Chelsea’s salary structure, with performance-related bonuses.

The move would see Joao Felix return to the west London club after spending the second half of the 2022-23 season on loan at Chelsea, scoring four goals in 20 appearances.

The Athletic Last week, the Premier League club began talks with their La Liga counterparts over a deal to sign Joao Felix after a proposed move to Stamford Bridge for Atletico striker Samu Omorodion fell through.

Joao Felix’s move to Chelsea has paved the way for Conor Gallagher to complete his move to Atletico, with the midfielder expected to fly to Madrid on Tuesday evening to finalise his move.

João Félix spent last season on loan at Barcelona, ​​recording 10 goals and six assists in 44 games.

Before joining Barcelona, ​​the Portuguese forward extended his contract with Atlético until June 2029. He joined Atlético from Benfica in the summer of 2019 for €126 million and has scored 34 goals in 131 appearances for the Spanish side.

João Felix would become Chelsea’s ninth summer signing, following the arrivals of Tosin Adarabioyo, Omari Kellyman, Marc Guiu, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Renato Veiga, Caleb Wiley, Aaron Anselmino and Pedro Neto.

(MIGUEL RIOPA/AFP via Getty Images)