Chelsea have confirmed the departure of Portuguese forward João Félix, who has completed a permanent move to Saudi Arabian side Al Nassr.

Félix had been looking to return to former employers Benfica, who were interested in getting a deal done, but the Portuguese side failed to come anywhere close to Chelsea’s financial demands and Al Nassr took full advantage.

In a move believed to have been approved by Cristiano Ronaldo, Al Nassr swooped in and struck a deal with both Chelsea and Félix. The 25-year-old was even spotted in training with his new employers earlier this week.

The deal has now been publicly confirmed, with Chelsea bidding farewell to Félix just one season after his permanent arrival at Stamford Bridge.

Al Nassr are believed to have paid an initial €30 million (£26.1 million, $34.9 million), with significant add-ons expected to see Chelsea pocket another €20 million (£17.4 million, $23.2 million) further down the line.

Having also earned a small loan fee when sending Félix to AC Milan for the second half of last season, the Blues may now make a profit on a player who cost £45 million ($60.2 million) when he joined from Atlético Madrid last summer.

Hopes were somewhat high for Félix, who spent the second half of the 2022–23 season on loan with Chelsea, but he struggled to find his place under Enzo Maresca, starting just three Premier League games across the first half of the season.

He was sent out on loan to Milan in January but failed to impress, and it quickly became clear that Félix would be returning to Chelsea and searching for a new home.

Félix leaves west London having made a total of 40 appearances across his two spells at the club, contributing 11 goals and two assists.

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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Joao Felix Leaves Chelsea, Completes Cristiano Ronaldo Reunion.

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