Chelsea want to sign Atletico Madrid forward permanently, player also keen – Romano

According to the ever-reliable transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, Chelsea want to keep Atletico Madrid forward Joao Felix at the club as part of their long-term plans.

Felix left Atletico Madrid for Chelsea during the January transfer window, after having grown disillusioned with life at the Civitas Metropolitano. The operation was a loan deal until the end of the season without a purchase option.

The Rojiblancos even pocketed an €11 million loan fee for Felix and extended his contract until 2027 before sending him to Chelsea in order to protect his value. The Blues are also having to pocket the entirety of his wages.

Felix has not made the biggest of impressions in his short time in West London thus far, managing just two goals in 12 games. However, it must be noted that the entire team has been struggling and the 23-year-old has at least shown some spark on the field.

And, as per Romano, the Chelsea administration is very happy with Felix and want him permanently so that he can be a part of the long-term plans at the club.

Furthermore, the Italian transfer expert adds that Felix himself is very happy with how things are going at Chelsea, with his teammates and with the city as well.

However, any deal in the summer will be dependent on two important factors. Firstly, the input of whoever will take over as the next Chelsea manager will need to be taken into consideration.

After getting rid of Thomas Tuchel and Graham Potter, Chelsea recently appointed Frank Lampard as interim manager until the end of the season. He will likely be replaced by someone else in the summer and his say on Felix will be considered.

On top of that, negotiations between the two clubs will also be key to the operation, given that there is no buy option in the loan deal.

Atletico Madrid, for their part, are likely to demand a fee of around €100 million for Felix in order to recoup most of what they invested in his signing back in 2020.

So, there is still a long way to go in terms of whether Felix can stay at Chelsea beyond the ongoing season. For now, though both the player and the club want to extend their partnership.