Chelsea are reluctant to meet Atletico Madrid loanee Joao Felix’s mammoth price tag
Chelsea, who are interested in making Joao Felix’s signing permanent, are hesitant to match Atletico Madrid’s £100 million asking price during the summer transfer window.
The Daily Mail, (h/t Metro), reports that the Blues are thinking about signing him on a season-long loan. Felix, who had a falling out with Atletico Madrid manager Diego Simeone, wants to remain in the Premier League.
In his few Premier League outings, the 23-year-old had a promising start, but he has not been reliable for the Blues. The Portuguese player joined the Blues during the winter transfer window and has since scored twice in 11 Premier League contests.
The former Benfica star, in the opinion of the Blues, has yet to demonstrate his full potential for the team. However, Chelsea aren’t the only club that’s considering acquiring him permanently. Manchester United also want to sign the Portuguese attacker this summer.
Worth it?
Felix’s acquisition has somewhat improved Chelsea’s current season, although goal-scoring has remained the team’s biggest issue. They also lost four of their previous five games this season, and if they fail to recover from a 2-0 deficit in the second leg, they risk going out of the Champions League in the quarterfinal.
Felix has demonstrated his talent since joining the Blues, but he hasn’t consistently played to that potential, which is why the Blues are prepared to pay his high asking price.
Additionally, £100 million is a significant sum for a player who hasn’t shown enough consistency. He is one of the excellent players in Europe and there aren’t many like Felix who can avoid opponents’ intense pressing, but his consistency has been a major issue, raising questions about whether to buy him long-term.
Buying him on a permanent basis makes a season-long loan seem like a sensible choice given that the Blues will have the full season to evaluate his performance.
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Felix was unable to make an impact in our 2-1 loss to Brighton and Hove Albion earlier today and he was equally ineffective in the goalless draw against Liverpool and the 1-0 loss to Wolves. If a player costs nin figures, you would want them to be a solution to some problem. It’s unclear what Felix solves. He isn’t a lethal finisher and he isn’t really creating chances for his teammates as well.