Ornstein: Chelsea ‘reach agreement’ for tenth summer signing but Gallagher remains in limbo
Chelsea have come to an agreement with Atletico Madrid for the permanent signing of Joao Felix.
The 24-year-old – who spent the second half of the 2022/2023 season on loan at Stamford Bridge – has agreed personal terms on a six-year contract with the option of an additional 12 months, The Athletic’s David Ornstein has revealed.
It was reported last week that Chelsea had opened talks with Atletico over a move for the Portugal international after Samu Omorodion’s proposed move to the Premier League side collapsed as the striker deemed them to be ‘disrespectful’ in negotiations.
That failed deal has left Conor Gallagher – who’s expected to complete a £36m move to Atletico – in limbo, with the England international returning to Chelsea despite agreeing personal terms and completing a medical with the Spanish side.
And he remains in a state of uncertainty as although an agreement has been struck for Felix, Gallagher’s move ‘has not yet been finalised’.
Felix scored four goals in 20 appearances while on loan at Chelsea and got ten goals and six assists in 44 games while with Barcelona last term.
The report doesn’t reveal what Chelsea have agreed to pay for the winger, but it’s been claimed this week that Atletico were willing to essentially swap Felix – who joined them in the summer of 2019 for a whopping €126m – for Gallagher.
Felix would be Chelsea’s tenth summer signing and manager Enzo Maresca has a ludicrous wealth of options in his squad, particularly in forward positions.
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But he may soon be without Raheem Sterling after the England international released a statement in which he said he wanted ‘clarity’ on his future at the club having been left out of the squad for the game against Manchester City on Sunday.
In response, Maresca said after the game: “I want all 30 players but there is no space for all of them so some have to leave. The only thing I can say it was a technical decision and now we will see and get clarity.
“All the players if they want to be Chelsea players we want to try and see how we can use them. Raheem, we take clarify in the next days.”
Sterling’s representative said in the statement: “Raheem Sterling is contracted to Chelsea Football Club for the next three years. He returned to England two weeks early to conduct individual training, and has had a positive pre-season under the new coach, who he has developed a good working relationship with.
“He is committed, as ever, to delivering at the highest level for Chelsea FC and the fans, who he holds in high regard, and given his inclusion in official club pre-match material this week, our expectation was that Raheem would be involved in this weekend’s fixture in some capacity.
“As a camp, we have always had positive dialogue with, and assurance from, Chelsea FC in relation to Raheem’s future at the club, so we look forward to gaining clarity on the situation. Until then, we will continue to support Raheem’s desire to start the new season positively.”
