Chelsea are on the verge of agreeing a deal to send João Félix to Al Nassr which could see the Blues somehow turn a profit on the mercurial Portuguese forward.
Félix has made it abundantly clear that he sees no future for himself at Chelsea. This is a stance echoed by manager Enzo Maresca, who robbed the elfin playmaker of his squad number while leaving him at home for the Club World Cup.
All the talk surrounding Félix’s impending exit had revolved around a return to his boyhood club. “Benfica is my home. One day I will return,” he declared in a less than subtle come-and-get-me plea. “I don’t know if it will be now or in a few years. If it is now, I will be happy.”
Recent reports suggested that an agreement to acquire 50% of Félix’s rights for a fee of around €25 million (£21.7 million, $29.3 million) was imminent. Yet, in a late twist, it now appears as though the 25-year-old will be on his way to Saudi Arabia.
Shortly after news of Al Nassr’s interest in Félix broke, Fabrizio Romano reported that Cristiano Ronaldo’s Saudi giants were in the “final stages” of securing personal terms for the forward. Sky Sports News followed that up with the revelation that Al Nassr were “close” to agreeing a fee worth around £44 million ($59.1 million) with Chelsea.
Félix permanently joined the Blues from Atlético Madrid 12 months ago for £45 million ($60.5 million). Considering the £5 million ($6.7 million) Chelsea reportedly extracted from AC Milan who loaned Félix for the second half of the 2024–25 campaign, the Premier League club’s outrageously aggressive transfer model has somehow spewed out another profitable deal.
Chelsea will not waste any time congratulating themselves for this astonishing piece of transfer trickery. It has been claimed that Félix’s departure will “accelerate” the arrival of Xavi Simons from RB Leipzig.
Maresca’s side are thought to be in discussion with their Bundesliga counterparts regarding a deal for Simons which could see Carney Chukwuemeka move in the opposite direction.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Joao Felix: Chelsea in ‘Final Stages’ of Securing Surprisingly Lucrative Exit.