Joao Felix Set for Chelsea Move as Conor Gallagher Joins Atletico

Joao Felix will join Chelsea after the club reached an agreement in principle with Atletico Madrid, with Conor Gallagher moving to Atletico Madrid as part of the deal. Although Chelsea have not disclosed the fee for Felix, a 24-year-old Portugal international, they will secure him on a six-year contract with an option for an additional year. This transfer follows Felix’s loan spell at Chelsea in 2023, where he scored four goals in 20 appearances.

Felix’s transfer awaits a medical examination, marking his return to Chelsea. Meanwhile, Gallagher will sign a five-year contract with Atletico Madrid. He has trained alone at Chelsea’s Cobham training ground for the past week due to the delay in his move. The delay happened after Chelsea’s negotiations for striker Samu Omorodion fell through, which led to a delay in Gallagher’s £33 million transfer.

Atletico needed to offload a major first-team player to fund Gallagher’s transfer. Joao Felix’s move to Chelsea will clear the way for Gallagher’s transfer to Atletico Madrid’s Wanda Metropolitano Stadium. Gallagher recently appeared at the stadium in anticipation of the transfer before returning to London due to the delay. As the transfer deadline on August 30 approaches, Chelsea are focusing on player sales.

They remain interested in Napoli striker Victor Osimhen, as Napoli continue to pursue Romelu Lukaku, who remains on Chelsea’s roster despite having no future with the club. Napoli have made a second loan offer for Lukaku with a £25.5 million obligation to buy but Chelsea are expected to reject it because it falls short of their £35 million asking price.