Joao Felix Stripped of No.7 Shirt at Atletico Madrid as Chelsea Move Away from Permanent Deal
Joao Felix has been stripped of his No.7 shirt at Atletico Madrid following his loan spell at Chelsea, with the Blues now looking unlikely to pursue a permanent deal for the Portugal international. Felix was signed in a £113 million (€126m) deal from Benfica in 2019 but failed to make an impact during his time in La Liga.
Chelsea spent £16m on their loan deal to bring Felix to Stamford Bridge for the second half of last season, but the 23-year-old only showed flashes of promise. With the Blues now signing Christopher Nkunku in a £52m deal from RB Leipzig and Nicolas Jackson from Villarreal for €37m (£31.8m), it appears that they are not pursuing a permanent deal for Felix this summer.
Atletico Madrid have now taken away Felix’s No.7 shirt – the number he has worn since joining the club – and handed it to Antoine Griezmann. Speaking before the Premier League season finished in May, Felix made it clear that he was keen to remain at Chelsea.
“I don’t know yet my future,” he said. “It’s a top club. Everyone in the club was very good to me, my team-mates [have been] unbelievable. And I really like to be here.”
When asked about Felix’s situation at Atletico last month, head coach Diego Simeone said in an interview with El Partidazo de COPE: “Joao is an Atletico Madrid player who, if he does not have a place at Chelsea, as Pochettino apparently said, he will have to come to Atletico de Madrid, he will have to work with us again, and obviously we will be willing to give him the best for that he can improve in what we believe is important.”
Simeone went on to say that Felix has “enormous conditions” and that “he will be what he wants to be”, but added that it is up to him to decide if he wants to succeed at Atletico.
It remains to be seen what the future holds for Joao Felix, but it appears that his time at Atletico Madrid is coming to an end. With Chelsea now looking unlikely to pursue a permanent deal for the Portugal international, it could be that he is set for a move elsewhere this summer. For more stories like this, check our sport page. Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.