Chelsea and Atlético Madrid have reached an agreement for the permanent transfer of Portuguese forward Joao Felix, according to The Athletic.
The 24-year-old has agreed to personal terms on a six-year contract with an option for an additional 12 months.
The Blues had initiated discussions with their La Liga counterparts about a deal for Joao Felix.
This came as Atlético striker Samu Omorodion’s proposed move to Stamford Bridge seemed to collapse due to complications in finalising the Spaniard’s contract.
In recent weeks, Atlético and Chelsea have also been in talks about a potential deal for England international Conor Gallagher.
Joao Felix previously spent the second half of the 2022-23 season on loan at Chelsea, scoring four goals in 20 appearances.
He then spent last season on loan at Barcelona, where he scored 10 goals and provided six assists in 44 matches.
Before his time at Barcelona, Joao Felix extended his Atlético contract, which now runs until June 2029.
He joined Atlético from Benfica in the summer of 2019 for €126 million and has scored 34 goals in 131 appearances for the Spanish side.
Joao Felix has been capped 41 times by Portugal and made two appearances at the European Championship before returning to Atlético for pre-season.
He will become Chelsea’s ninth summer signing, following the arrivals of Tosin Adarabioyo, Omari Kellyman, Marc Guiu, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Renato Veiga, Caleb Wiley, Aaron Anselmino, and Pedro Neto.
Chelsea started the new Premier League season with a 2-0 defeat to champions Manchester City.
They will begin their Conference League campaign against Servette on Thursday before facing Wolverhampton Wanderers on Sunday.
New Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca could soon bolster his attacking options with the addition of Joao Felix.
Conor Gallagher’s future at Chelsea has been in flux this summer.
The midfielder was on the brink of joining Atletico Madrid before returning to England.
If Felix does make the move to Chelsea, it could potentially pave the way for Gallagher’s transfer to Atletico to be revisited.
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