Chelsea has officially secured the permanent transfer of Portugal forward Joao Felix from Atletico Madrid.
This announcement came on Wednesday, shortly after England midfielder Conor Gallagher completed his move in the opposite direction.
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Felix, 24, has committed to a seven-year contract with the London club, marking his return to Stamford Bridge where he previously made 20 appearances during a loan spell in the 2022/23 season. Although the transfer fee was not disclosed, reports from the UK press suggest Chelsea agreed to pay £40 million ($51 million) to Atletico Madrid for the former Benfica star, who represented Portugal in two matches at Euro 2024.
“I loved my time here before, and I told my friends and family that I’d love to return to the Premier League one day,” Felix shared with Chelsea’s official website. “To do that with Chelsea is a great feeling, and I’m excited to be back.”
Felix initially joined Atletico Madrid in 2019 and made 131 appearances under Diego Simeone’s management. However, last season, he spent his time on loan at Barcelona.
Earlier in the day, Conor Gallagher completed his permanent transfer to Atletico Madrid after an earlier move collapsed the previous week when Chelsea failed to agree on a deal for Atletico striker Samu Omorodion.
Gallagher, who had been training alone since his return to Chelsea last week, had been seen in Spain ahead of his proposed £33 million transfer.
The 24-year-old midfielder played 50 games for Chelsea last season, often stepping in as captain in the absence of Reece James. During his time at Chelsea, Gallagher made 95 appearances, scored 10 goals, and was part of the team that won the 2019 Europa League.
