Atletico Madrid will not listen to any bids less than 100m euros (£90m) for Joao Felix this summer, despite reports that the Blues would be able to snag him for as little as £80m at the end of his loan deal.
The Portuguese attacker arrived from Atletico Madrid on a six-month loan in January, with the Blues paying £14m for the deal.
Sent off in his first game for the club against Fulham, Felix has scored just twice in 10 Premier League outings so far under three managers, though he has shown plenty of fancy footwork to get fans off their seats.
But, despite the side struggling and currently marooned in 11th place, and having scored the seventh-fewest goals in the top flight, it has been reported that the club still want to make the loan deal permanent this summer should the opportunity arise.
As per transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, the Blues ‘want to keep Felix as a part of their long-term project’, while the club are ‘very happy with his impact’.
However, it will not be cheap, with the 23-year-old set to cost upwards of 100m euros, according to reports in Spain.
With midfield a key area in need of additions this summer, plus the impending arrival of Christopher Nkunku from RB Leipzig, who also favours playing as a second striker, a move for Felix doesn’t appear to make a great deal of sense at the quoted price.
A central midfielder, striker and goalkeeper are thought to be the primary targets for the Blues this summer, and a big-money move for Felix could jeopardise one of those.
