Atletico Madrid News
On-loan Chelsea forward ‘very happy’ at Stamford Bridge: “It is amazing”
Speaking in an interview, Atletico Madrid loanee Joao Felix has claimed that he is very happy at Chelsea, but is unsure about what the future holds for him.
Felix had fallen out of favour at Atletico Madrid in the first half of the season, with manager Diego Simeone hardly calling on him.
Having grown frustrated over the lack of minutes, the Portuguese international sought an exit and Chelsea signed him up on a loan deal until the end of the season, with no permanent purchase clause included.
Since moving to Stamford Bridge, Felix has played regularly for Graham Potter’s side although the team itself has not been performing up to the mark.
In spite of that, Felix insisted that he is very happy at Chelsea, calling the club ‘amazing’. But when asked if he wanted to continue there beyond the end of the season, the former SL Benfica wonderkid was coy in his response.
“In terms of if I want to stay or not, the future no one knows. Chelsea is amazing, I am happy to be here,” Felix said, as quoted by Fabrizio Romano.
Talking about his exit from Atletico Madrid and the move to Chelsea, he added: “When I left Atletico, it was good for me and them. It was the perfect deal, to try something different. I am very happy to play at Chelsea.”
Since joining Chelsea, Felix has played five times in all competitions and has scored one goal. There have been reports that the Blues intend to sign him up permanently. However, only time will tell if there is any truth to those rumours.
Atletico Madrid News
Atletico Madrid to rival Inter, AC Milan and Roma for 23-year-old centre-forward
Atletico Madrid are set to enter the market for another striker in the summer transfer window even though they signed Memphis Depay in January from Barcelona.
And according to Italian journalist Giacomo Iacobellis, Atletico Madrid are interested in signing 23-year-old striker Mateo Retegui, who is also on the radars of AC Milan, Inter and AS Roma.
Retegui, born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, also has Italian citizenship and has recently been called up by Roberto Mancini to the national team squad for the upcoming UEFA Euro 2024 qualifiers.
The 23-year-old striker is currently plying his trade for Argentine outfit Tigre, on loan from Boca Juniors, having joined in February last year. He has made a solid impression so far in his time with his temporary club and has six goals in seven league appearances this season so far.
It has alerted Atletico Madrid, who are on the lookout for a new centre-forward. Depay was brought in earlier this year to replace Joao Felix, who left on loan and is likely to be sold permanently to Chelsea in the summer.
Having lost Matheus Cunha as well during the winter, Diego Simeone’s side do not have great depth up top, especially with Alvaro Morata not performing consistently. Hence, a new centre-forward could arrive at the Civitas Metropolitano, with Retegui emerging as an option.
Retegui’s loan deal runs until the end of this year, with Tigre having the option to make the transfer permanent. His contract with Boca Juniors expires at the end of December 2024.
Apart from Atletico, Italian clubs like AS Roma, AC Milan and Inter Milan are also keen on the 23-year-old and it remains to be seen if Retegui moves to Europe come summer.
