Chelsea’s Nicolas Jackson and Moises Caicedo react to Joao Felix ‘thankyou’ message
Chelsea outcast Joao Felix has shared a ‘thank you’ post amid the Portuguese being linked with a move back to his home country.
Benfica are leading the race to sign Felix, with the 25-year-old willing to take a pay cut to leave Stamford Bridge this summer.
Felix was loaned out to Serie A giants AC Milan in January, but scored just once in his short stint in Italy and the Rossoneri chose not to make the move permanent.
Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca has been bolstering his attack with the additions of Joao Pedro, Liam Delap and Jamie Gittens, and Felix is not part of his future plans.
Blues players react to Felix ‘farewell’ post
Felix took to Instagram to share pictures of his recent holiday to Japan with the caption in Japanese translating to say ‘thank you,’ which team mates Nicolas Jackson and Moises Caicedo liked.
Meresca did not select Felix as part of his Club World Cup squad, allowing him to explore a move away from the club.
Chelsea have made the final of the competition, where they will play PSG, after already winning up to £80m in prize money.
The Blues have beaten six sides, including Fluminense in the semi-finals, to make it to the final in New Jersey.
Maresca offloading attacking talent
Football Insider Verdict
Having spent big on landing two new strikers and a winger, Maresca now needs to offload fringe players in his squad.
Felix has not been able to break through into a regular starting during his time in London, with the form of Cole Palmer a key reason.
| Appearances | 40 |
| Goals | 11 |
| Assists | 2 |
His spell at AC Milan did not reignite his career, and the Portuguese now requires a permanent move away from Stamford Bridge.
The 25-year-old has shown his quality and versatility whilst at Benfica and Atletico Madrid, and he still has many years ahead of him to regain his top form.
Maresca is also looking at offloading fellow forward Raheem Sterling following his own failed loan move and Christopher Nkunku is also expected to leave the club.
The Italian has plenty of forward options to choose from and needs to ensure all of them stay content with their playing time to avoid any disruption during the season.