AC Milan have completed the signing of Chelsea attacker Joao Felix on loan after a late transfer swoop on deadline day.
The 25-year-old has struggled to break into Enzo Maresca’s side and has had to settle for a role in their ‘B’ team which featured predominantly in the early rounds of the domestic cups as well as the Europa Conference League.
In the Premier League, he managed just three starts and was forced to play second fiddle to Cole Palmer and even Christopher Nkunku as well.
The final week of the window saw plenty of reports of a potential move away that included Aston Villa who were unable to pull off a deal, before then going on to sign Paris Saint-Germain’s Marco Asensio.
Instead, Milan offered an attractive proposal for the Portugal international in a loan deal until the end of the season. However, no option to buy has been included.
Plus, there was a loan fee of around €2m-€3m, and the Italian side is also paying all of his wages, making it a solid deal for Chelsea.
Felix could go straight into the action as his new side face off against Roma in the Coppa Italia quarter-final on Wednesday night.
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Why did Chelsea let him go?
Described as ‘world-class‘ by Sky Sports back in January 2023, Felix has always been held in high regard for his overall football ability, but despite his quality, he hasn’t enjoyed a consistent season for quite some time.
His permanent signing by Chelsea in the summer was a surprise move given the wealth of attacking talent already at the club and the fact that they needed to bolster in other areas such as centre-back, goalkeeper and central striker role.
Felix was another luxury player, capable of playing behind a forward but they already possessed the likes of Jadon Sancho, Nkunku, Palmer, Pedro Neto and Noni Madueke, meaning game time was always going to come at a premium.
As a reminder, he is contracted until 2031, meaning Chelsea does have a long-term vision with Felix but his route to the first-team looks like it won’t be changing or getting any easier soon.
Nkunku may well exit in the summer but the arrival of the two South American prodigies Estevao Willian and Kendry Paez will complicate matters further, as both play in a similar position to Palmer, as well as the right wing.
That could force a potential exit for Felix in the future as he looks for a starring role in a side but it is unlikely to be Chelsea and the Milan exit may just be a sign of things to come.
