Chelsea close to agreeing £45m transfer exit after putting 14 stars up for sale

Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca is keen to overhaul his squad this summer and the club have made some early progress in the transfer window, with Benfica in talks to re-sign Joao Felix

Chelsea have reportedly entered negotiations over the sale of flop forward Joao Felix, just months after shelling out £45million to sign him. Felix has spent the past few months on loan with AC Milan and is set to become one of potentially 14 players who the Blues wave goodbye to in the summer transfer window.

The 25-year-old forward has seen his reputation plummet over the 2024/25 season, with his image as one of Europe’s most exciting young players fading fast. Chelsea signed him on a seven-year contract in August 2024 after he previously spent the second half of the 2022/23 season at Stamford Bridge.

He struggled to make an impression on Enzo Maresca, starting just three Premier League matches, before being shipped out on loan to Milan in January. His third loan spell in two years failed to revive his career, with Milan just as unimpressed as Chelsea – but it appears an exit could still be agreed.

Felix first emerged as a talent at Benfica, and the Portuguese club believe they could coax him back to his best. Record reports that Benfica are in advanced talks with Chelsea over a permanent transfer, with manager Bruno Lage and club president Rui Costa both on board with the plan.

Things could move fast, with Chelsea keen to sell their flop and Benfica hoping to wrap things up in time for Felix to feature for them at the Club World Cup. The tournament begins in the United States on June 15, with Benfica’s first match a day later against Boca Juniors.

Felix has one thing on his side: his agent Jorge Mendes, who has a history of securing big-money moves for his client, despite his underwhelming performances. Mendes negotiated his £113m from Benfica to Atletico Madrid in 2019, as well as his move to Stamford Bridge last summer.

Maresca is keen to reshape his bloated squad this summer, having inherited a mishmash of players last year. Felix is just one of a large number of players slated for departure, with fellow forwards Noni Madueke, Christopher Nkunku and Raheem Sterling all up for sale.

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Chelsea also want to overhaul their goalkeeping department, with Robert Sanchez and Djordje Petrovic potentially leaving. Defenders Renato Veiga, Ben Chilwell, Axel Disasi, Wesley Fofana and Trevoh Chalobah are all also deemed surplus to requirements, as are midfielders Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Carney Chukwuemeka and Lesley Ugochukwu.

The Blues have wasted no time in getting the ball rolling on incoming deals, announcing the arrival of midfielder Dario Essugo from Sporting Lisbon, in a transfer believed to be worth around £18m. The deal for the 20-year-old Sporting academy graduate was agreed in March and has now gone through ahead of the Club World Cup, which Chelsea will also take part in.