Chelsea's on-loan attacker Joao Felix won't join the club on a permanent basis in the summer transfer window, according to a new update.
How has Felix performed for Chelsea?
The Portuguese star made the move to Stamford Bridge back in January, having struggled to find top form in an Atletico Madrid shirt. There were high hopes that he could have a positive impact for the Blues, but in truth, things haven't panned out that way.
Felix has flattered to deceive in a Chelsea shirt, showing sprinklings of quality but ultimately contributing nowhere near enough, scoring just four times in 17 Premier League appearances. He also failed to find the net in four Champions League games, and not a single assist has come his way, in all competitions.
With Mauricio Pochettino now set to be in charge of the Blues imminently, he has a decision to make regarding the 23-year-old, in terms of whether to sign him permanently or not. A fresh claim suggests that a decision has already been made, though.
Will Felix sign permanently for Blues?
According to Football Insider, Felix "is heading out of Chelsea for good this summer", with Pochettino not seeing him as part of his plans and the club "unwilling to meet Atletico Madrid’s demand of nearly £69million to make his Stamford Bridge switch permanent."
Instead, the new Blues boss is "believed to have other targets in mind that the club believed the money would be better spent on", once he officially takes charge on July 1st.
Essentially, Felix's loan move was an audition for him at Chelsea, as he looked for a permanent move away from Atletico, having been given a chance to prove his worth. He has been an undoubted disappointment, however, and while the team's struggles as a whole can be partly used as an excuse, far more was still required.
It is, therefore, the correct decision not to retain the 30-time capped Portugal international's services – he has only scored five times for his country in that time – even though the £195,000-a-week attacker has been lauded as a "special" player by Alvaro Morata in the past.
While Felix is still a young player, he is threatening to not fulfil his vast potential, having won the prestigious European Golden Boys award back in 2019, with the likes of Kylian Mbppe, Erling Haaland and Pedri also scooping the prize in the past. Chelsea needed to see far more from consistency from him, in terms of making his temporary move permanent.
