Chelsea’s Joao Felix could be on the move this summer, with Brazilian club Flamengo reportedly interested in acquiring the Portuguese playmaker.
Despite a brief and underwhelming loan spell with the Blues in 2023, Felix was signed permanently in a £45m deal from Atlético Madrid last summer, with Conor Gallagher moving in the opposite direction.
However, Joao Felix played just 363 minutes of Premier League football in the first half of the season, with new manager Enzo Maresca primarily deploying him in the Conference League and domestic cup competitions.
At the end of the January transfer window, Chelsea struck a loan deal with Milan for Felix.
However, the Rossoneri will not be pursuing a permanent deal for the 25-year-old, following a request from manager Sérgio Conceição, who might not remain at the club beyond the summer due to a string of underperforming results.
With Maresca unlikely to reintegrate Félix into the first team after his return from Milan, uncertainty surrounds the future of the once highly-regarded starlet.
Brazilian outlet Vene Casagrande was the first to report that Flamengo are keen to offer Félix an opportunity to revive his career.
The Brazilian giants are managed by former Chelsea left-back Filipe Luís, who briefly crossed paths with Félix at Atlético Madrid in the summer of 2019.
Flamengo are reportedly interested in signing Felix on an initial loan deal, with an obligation to buy at the end of the Brazilian season in December.
The club are eager to have the Portuguese playmaker on their roster for the upcoming Club World Cup. Intriguingly, Chelsea will face Flamengo in their second group-stage match.
While the Blues are open to facilitating the move, reports from AS suggest Felix is reluctant to leave Europe.
He believes there is still potential for success on the continent, despite his struggles since leaving Benfica in 2019 for a record-breaking transfer fee.
Felix’s time at Atletico Madrid under Diego Simeone never seemed like a good fit, and his performances at Chelsea, Barcelona, and Milan have been sporadic at best.
He has scored just once during his current stint with Milan, with the 2024/25 campaign now nearing its conclusion.
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