Chelsea close to offloading Felix in £44m deal with Al Nassr
The 25-year-old made the permanent move to Stamford Bridge from Atlético Madrid for a fee in the region of £45 million, following a loan spell in 2023. However, Félix struggled to establish himself in Chelsea’s starting XI during both his loan and permanent tenures.
Saudi Pro League side Al Nassr are reportedly close to finalising a deal worth approximately £44 million for Portuguese forward João Félix, who joined Chelsea on a permanent basis last summer, according to a Sky Sports report on Sunday.
The 25-year-old made the permanent move to Stamford Bridge from Atlético Madrid for a fee in the region of £45 million, following a loan spell in 2023. However, Félix struggled to establish himself in Chelsea's starting XI during both his loan and permanent tenures.
Félix spent the latter half of last season on loan at AC Milan, where he scored three goals in 19 appearances. That temporary move also brought Chelsea a reported £5 million loan fee.
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While former club Benfica had expressed interest in re-signing Félix, it is Al Nassr who have intensified their pursuit, as they look to further strengthen their squad. The Riyadh-based club recently extended Cristiano Ronaldo's contract and appointed veteran Portuguese manager Jorge Jesus, reinforcing their ambition to win the Saudi Pro League title.
A successful sale of Félix would allow Chelsea to recover almost the entirety of their initial outlay and create financial flexibility to pursue new signings. Among their top targets is RB Leipzig forward Xavi Simons, although any progress is expected to depend on further player departures.
