‘Joao Felix to take pay cut to join Benfica, bid inbound at Chelsea’
Joao Felix’s exit from Chelsea may be imminent with the attacking midfielder prepared to take a pay cut to secure a return to boyhood club Benfica.
The Portugul international has endured a difficult second spell in West London after re-joining the club permanently last summer for £45million [BBC Sport], following a stint on loan in the second half of the 2022/23 season.
Felix joined AC Milan on loan last January after scoring just once in 12 Premier League appearances under Enzo Maresca.
Cole Palmer’s scintillating form over the last two seasons made it difficult for the 25-year-old to play in his favoured position behind the striker, often appearing out wide where he was ineffective at best.
Following a disappointing spell in Italy, Milan chose not to make an offer to keep Felix at the San Siro, instead focusing on targets such as Ardon Jashari.
And with Chelsea hoovering up much of Europe’s attacking talent this summer, the Portuguese attacking midfielder looks set to do all he can to secure a move back to Benfica, according to Portuguese publication O Jogo.
Joao Felix to take pay cut to secure Benfica return
According to the report, Benfica are preparing to offer €20m (£17.2m) for 50% of Felix’s transfer fee, totalling a €40m (£34.4m) bid.
The 25-year-old is also “willing to considerably lower his salary” to secure a return to the Stadium of Light in Lisbon.
What is unknown is who will finance the other 50% of the offer, as the Premier League are very strict on third-party ownership rules, following Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano’s transfers from Corinthians to West Ham in 2006 [BBC Sport].
Benfica may need to pay the fee upfront, before then selling half of Felix’s ownership rights to a third party as a workaround to the rules.
Felix exit huge boost for Chelsea after UEFA fine
Football Insider Verdict
You wouldn’t know it, given their voracious appetite when it comes to transfers, but Chelsea are a selling club right now.
Or at least, they need to be. The Times reported on 6 July that following UEFA’s largest fine dished out to a club, the Blues need to raise £60m to register players for next year’s Champions League.
Chelsea have avoided financial restrictions in the past by selling their women’s team and signing players to eight-and-a-half-year-long contracts, but as of yet, there appears to be no other workaround than selling off some of their squad.
Should the Blues receive a decent fee from Felix’s sale, that would eat into the total amount that needs to be raised this summer.
Other potential outgoings include Axel Disasi who spent last season on loan at Aston Villa, Carney Chukwuemeka, Djordje Petrovic, Noni Madueke, and even Nicolas Jackson.