Joao Felix's stance on joining Chelsea permanently without Champions League football

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Joao Felix's stance on joining Chelsea permanently without Champions League football

Chelsea are keen to push ahead with their plans to sign Joao Felix on a permanent basis and 90min understands the Portugal international would be prepared to join longer-term even if the Blues fail to finish in the Premier League top four this season.

Felix joined on an expensive loan deal in January and his contract does not include an option to buy, meaning Chelsea will have to negotiate with his parent club, Atletico Madrid, once again.

90min revealed last month that Chelsea had already begun exploring a permanent move for Felix, who cost Atletico close to £120m when he moved to Spain in 2019.

Sources have since confirmed that a fresh round of talks between Chelsea and Atletico is due to be held soon, with the Blues still keen to reach an agreement over a permanent deal for the 23-year-old.

Atletico are prepared to offload Felix and hope to get his high wages off the books, but they would still demand a huge fee close to €100m (£88m).

Felix, who has publicly stated he is enjoying life in London, is understood to be open to remaining at Chelsea beyond the current campaign and would be prepared to make the move permanently even if Graham Potter's side fail to qualify for next season's Champions League.

Chelsea are currently tenth in the Premier League, 11 points adrift of the top four, and so there remains a distinct possibility that there will be no European football at Stamford Bridge next year.

While Felix wants to be playing in the Champions League, 90min understands he would be happy to make the move and spend a year outside Europe's elite club competition, but only if he is guaranteed a major role in the team - he has played eight times for Chelsea so far, starting all eight of those games and scoring one goal in the process.

Chelsea could raise the money needed to sign Felix by selling a number of fringe players. The Todd Boehly-Clearlake Capital ownership are prepared to offload any unsettled players on expiring deals, including Christian Pulisic and Hakim Ziyech, which would make space in the squad.

One guaranteed arrival at Chelsea at the end of this year is 17-year-old Phoenix All Stars striker Dujuan 'Whisper' Richards. The Jamaican international has signed a contract with the Blues and will link up with the academy once he turns 18 in November.