João Felix wasn’t second-time lucky at Chelsea following his permanent transfer to the club from Atlético de Madrid in the summer of 2024/25 and is now set for a move to the Middle East.
The Portugal international first played for Chelsea for six months of the 2022/23 season, where he made a good-enough impression, but not enough to make Chelsea splash the cash on him. Fast forward to the summer of 2024, after his wonderful loan outing at Barcelona, the Blues were finally able to take a risk on his signing as Barcelona were unable to meet the financial obligations necessary.
That second coming turned sour quickly as Felix was relegated to a bit part role despite being presented as a superstar. AC Milan took him on loan for the second half of the 2024/25 season to test the waters, but it didn’t work out between both parties, leaving Chelsea and Felix in a situation where both were unsure of what to do with each other.
Saudi Arabian outfit Al Nassr, who also employs Felix’s national team captain, Cristiano Ronaldo, have stepped up to the plate to give the player a lifeline, to the delight of Chelsea and her fans.
According to reports, Chelsea will receive £43.7 million from Al Nassr, which will be broken down into a £26.2 million transfer fee to be paid up-front and a further £17.5 million in add-ons. This departure would free up space for Chelsea to sign Xavi Simons from RB Leipzig, which media reports claim is going to happen sooner rather than later.
Felix, 25, has had a rough career since leaving Befica for Atléti. However, he will have the mentorship of Cristiano Ronaldo and Jorge Jesus at Al Nassr, where he would hope to regain his confidence and return to Europe.
Al Nassr, according to Sky Sports, moved fast because Chelsea were already in talks with Felix’s boyhood club, Benfica. The Portuguese giants were looking to re-sign him from Chelsea, where he had a contract until 2030. The Blues would’ve wanted nothing less than £40 million, and it was unclear whether Benfica were willing to spend that much to bring the former Golden Boy award winner back home.
Christopher Nkunku could be following Felix out of the door of Stamford Bridge. This is despite the fact that the Frenchman was pivotal to their FIFA Club World Cup triumph. The Blues are focusing on rebuilding again, and the exits of Felix and Nkunku, as well as Raheem Sterling, Renato Veiga and a few others, are going to be the stepping stones for this rebuild.
