Chelsea could re-sign Joao Felix in wild transfer twist after £38m deal falls to pieces

Chelsea and Atletico Madrid are reportedly locked in talks over a sensational deal for Joao Felix after Samu Omorodion’s £35million transfer was cancelled at the 11th hour.

The Blues had agreed a deal to sign the 20-year-old forward to become their 11th summer signing under Enzo Maresca, with a medical booked and a long-term contract finalised for the Spain youth international.

But on Sunday night, reports in Spain emerged that the deal had collapsed, with Chelsea now switching their focus to signing Felix as part of the complicated swap deal for Conor Gallagher.

According to Fabrizio Romano, Omorodion’s projected move to Stamford Bridge is ‘100 per cent off’ after ‘major issues’ were discovered in the deal. However, the two clubs were adamant they didn’t want their deals for Gallagher and Julian Alvarez deals to collapse.

Atletico require a significant sale to afford their £82m deal for Manchester City star Alvarez, while the La Liga outfit have agreed to pay £38m for Blues ace Gallagher.

And after watching the deal for Omorodion fall apart, they have offered Felix as an alternative to raise funds for the deal, as Chelsea opened talks with his agent Jorge Mendes in London.

The 24-year-old is out of favour at the Civitas Metropolitano despite featuring in pre-season for Diego Simeone’s side and Atletico are desperate to offload him this summer.

It represents a remarkable turnaround for Felix, who spent six months on loan with the west London club during the 2022-23 campaign – only for Chelsea to snub the chance to sign him on a permanent deal.

But just 14 months later, a £38m deal is now being prepared to bring Felix back to Stamford Bridge after Atletico significantly lowered their demands.

Felix scored four goals in 16 Premier League games for the Blues in a mildly impressive loan spell, although the Portuguese forward was infamously shown a red card on his debut against Fulham.

He spent the 2023-24 season on loan at Barcelona where he bagged 10 goals and four assists in all competitions for the Blaugrana.

Chelsea are continuing to spend freely in the transfer market despite splashing out £182m on 10 new signings this summer. The likes of Pedro Neto and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall have been snapped up from their Premier League rivals Wolves and Leicester City respectively, while Victor Osimhen remains a key target.

It remains to be seen whether Felix’s potential arrival could result in one of their attackers leaving, as Raheem Sterling has been linked with a surprise move to Juventus and Noni Madueke’s future increasingly uncertain after Neto’s capture was confirmed on Sunday.