Chelsea are ready to offload Joao Felix for just €25m this summer amid interest from his former club Benfica, according to A Bola. The Portuguese forward’s career has gone haywire since leaving the Estadio da Luz in 2019 to complete a blockbuster move to Atletico Madrid.
Los Rojiblancos reportedly paid a club-record €126m for Felix that summer, but the player never lived up to expectations at the Metropolitano Stadium. After a rumored fallout with Diego Simeone, Felix was shipped to Chelsea on loan in January 2023.
Felix had a decent stay at Stamford Bridge, but the Blues opted against signing him permanently at the end of the season. The 25-year-old then left Atletico Madrid on a season-long loan to Barcelona.
The player was expected to make his stay at Camp Nou permanent last summer, but it never materialized. Felix eventually completed a permanent move to London in 2024, with Chelsea reportedly paying €50m for his signature.
However, the Portuguese failed to convince Enzo Maresca and was sent out on loan to AC Milan in February this year. His stay with the Rossoneri hasn’t been impressive either, with the player managing just three goals and one assist from 21 games.
The Blues have run out of patience with Felix and are ready to let him go for just half of his original price. Benfica are apparently willing to pay that fee to bring their prodigal son back. The Portuguese club are even trying to sign the player in time for the FIFA Club World Cup, which begins on June 14.
Chelsea have agreed on a deal to sign AC Milan goalkeeper Mike Maignan, according to Gazzetta dello Sport. The French goalkeeper will enter the final year of his contract with the Serie A giants this summer and hasn’t agreed to a new deal yet.
Recent reports have suggested that Maignan is eager for a fresh challenge, and Stamford Bridge has now emerged as a destination. The Blues are in the market for an upgrade on Robert Sanchez, who had an average 2024-25 season (10 clean sheets in 34 games).
Maignan, meanwhile, has been outstanding for the Rossoneri once again, registering 15 clean sheets from 53 games. Chelsea have reportedly offered AC Milan £15.2m to sign the 29-year-old. The Blues are now working to complete the deal by Tuesday (June 10), so that the player can feature at the FIFA Club World Cup.
Deepungsu holds a PG degree in Microbiology and an MBA degree in Total Quality Management. He has an extensive two-decade long writing experience, which includes a decade of sports blogging. His writing prowess has even led his work getting cited on the legendary Franz Beckenbauer’s Wikipedia page.
Inspired by Diego Maradona, Deepungsu played as an attacking midfielder for his local club at subdivision level in his initial years and scored an important goal or two. However, his all-time favorite footballer is Lionel Messi, and evidently, he feels Argentina’s glory in 2022 is his favorite FIFA World Cup moment for fulfilling his long-standing dream. He is also an ardent East Bengal fan.
Deepungsu has been a Manchester United supporter since the year 2000. Unsurprisingly, his favorite manager is Sir Alex Ferguson and the Scotsman helped him get through some of the toughest days of his life. Like the fiery Scot, Deepungsu also leaves no stone unturned when it comes to accuracy in articles and only relies on credible sources.
Despite believing in Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland to create an iconic rivalry, Deepungsu reckons no one can match the longevity of Messi and Ronaldo. He spends his leisure time writing about life on his blog, reading books, and playing the guitar.
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