Chelsea and Atlético Madrid have reached a verbal agreement on a loan for João Félix, The Athletic writes. For a rental fee of eleven million euros, the 23-year-old striker would finish the season in the Premier League. Journalist Fabrizio Romano adds that there is no option to buy.
The amount is lower than Atlético’s initial asking price, which was 21 million euros according to previous reports. Chelsea and other interested clubs, such as Erik ten Hag’s Manchester United, thought that amount was too much. In the negotiations, Atlético still tacked for a lower amount, although there is still no final agreement on paper.
Félix was on the field for 73 minutes on Sunday in the lost league match against Barcelona (0-1). However, it had been clear for some time that he was heading for a (temporary) departure. “I would like him to stay longer, but that is not the player’s wish,” said general manager Miguel Ángel Gil Marín in early December . The director also agreed that the relationship between Félix and trainer Diego Simeone is ‘not good’.
Félix has been under contract with Atlético since the summer of 2019, which at the time paid no less than 126 million euros to Benfica to be able to tie the attacker. He was brought in as the successor to Antoine Griezmann, who was sold to Barcelona, who is now his teammate again in Madrid. In 131 official games for Atlético, the Portuguese scored 34 goals and 18 assists.
Mykhailo Mudryk saga
In news about another one of Chelsea’s targets, Arsenal have still not given up hope for the arrival of Mykhailo Mudryk. The Premier League leader is still negotiating with Shakhtar Donetsk, which wants nothing less than the top prize for its star player.
The Gunners are in a fierce battle with Chelsea for Mudryk’s signature. That will not be easy. As Shakhtar Donetsk refuses to let the 22-year-old attacker go for an apple and an egg. Technical director Darijo Srna, who attended last week’s match between Chelsea and Manchester City, has rejected Arsenal’s initial offer, according to the BBC.
“There is no need to sell,” Carlo Nicolini, who determines the technical policy of the club together with Srna, clarified earlier. Shakhtar reportedly wants an amount of at least one hundred million euros for Mudryk. Nicolini repeated a statement he already made in October. He concluded, “We have indicated that we like him better than certain other players, such as Antony. That’s our benchmark.”
