It was a matter of minutes between news breaking that Samu Omorodion’s move to Chelsea was collapsing, and the idea that Joao Felix could be heading to Stamford Bridge instead. The negotiations may have taken many by surprise, given the Portuguese spent six months on loan at Chelsea a year ago, with the Blues not making any attempt to keep him.
The two clubs are now discussing a deal for Felix as part of the Conor Gallagher transfer, as Atletico Madrid do not want that move or their bid for Julian Alvarez to fail, despite deals being agreed for both. Those talks are said to be in ‘key stages’ by Fabrizio Romano, while previous reports say that the two sides are trying to salvage a deal for Omorodion.
The reason Chelsea are pursuing Felix now though is that the club were in fact pleased with his efforts two seasons ago, but manager at the time Mauricio Pochettino was less enamoured. His lack of desire to bring Felix back, meant Chelsea did not move for him.
Atletico had agreed a €45m fee with Chelsea for the 20-year-old Olympic champion, but they feel Felix has a higher market value, and so will demand more money from him. This does not tally exactly with Romano’s report