World Cup star agrees £9.7m switch after Newcastle United transfer ‘talks’

The 23-year-old was a highly sought after player in January when it became apparent Atletico would be open to letting him leave on loan. Felix’s agent, Jorge Mendes, even reportedly visited England last month to hold in-person talks with Newcastle United and Aston Villa over a potential move.

And that alerted the likes of Manchester United and Chelsea, with the latter now completing a half-season loan worth £9.7million. The loan also saw Felix sign a one-year extension at Atletico until June 2027.

The Portuguese international, who scored once at the World Cup in Qatar before being knocked out in the quarter-final stage by Morocco, joined the La Liga club from Benfica in 2019 for £113million.

And in three-and-a-half seasons at the club, he has netted 25 league goals in 95 appearances despite his expressive play-style not always being conducive with Diego Simeone’s regimented and defensive managerial approach.

Upon signing Felix, Chelsea manager Graham Potter highlighted injuries in his squad as a factor that helped accelerate the move. Christian Pulisic and Armando Broja – both attacking players targeted by Newcastle – have been ruled out for Chelsea for extended periods due to respective knee injuries.

"He's a quality player," said Potter. "He will make a difference in the final third of the pitch and I'm looking forward to working with him.

"He's young, but still has lots of good experience and it's given us all a bit of a lift. I've been aware of the potential deal for a while but the injuries we've had maybe sharpened our focus on it. But it's nice to get him here and he's been training today, which is positive for us."

Despite playing for Atletico in the Champions League already this season, Felix could still potentially feature for Chelsea in the knockout stages due to relaxed UEFA rules around ‘cup-tied’ players. The Blues face Borussia Dortmund in the last-16 as they eye a third Champions League trophy.

"Chelsea is one of the great teams in the world," said Felix after joining on loan. "I hope to help the team reach their objectives. I am very, very happy to be here and very excited to play at Stamford Bridge."