Chelsea set to lose almost £30m on exiled star as Champions League side make lowly offer
Chelsea are preparing to take a major financial hit on Joao Felix, according to reports.
Six years after selling him to Atletico Madrid for £113m, Benfica want Felix back - but not at the £35m Chelsea are reportedly demanding.
The Portuguese club made an offer worth around £17.3m plus a 50 per cent sell-on clause, and while they’d like him in time for next week’s Super Cup against Sporting, they’re willing to wait.
With no bids coming in from the lucrative Saudi Pro League, Benfica believe they’re the only serious option on the table.
Chelsea, desperate to offload Felix, may have to take what they can get.
Felix’s stock has fallen hard. After a forgettable loan at Stamford Bridge in 2022–23, he returned last summer more as a financial workaround than a footballing solution. Chelsea paid Atletico an initial £38.2m as part of a complex deal tied to balancing the books, especially with Conor Gallagher’s £34m move to Spain hanging in the balance.
In total, the transfer fee reached £46.3m, including add-ons.
Felix now finds himself without much of a market. Benfica want to reunite him with manager Bruno Lage, who coached him to a breakout season in 2018–19.
But unless a big-spending Saudi club enters the race, Chelsea are unlikely to recover anywhere near their asking price.