Chelsea have brought in a lot of young talents over the past few years, following their change in ownership. Several of those youngsters have established themselves as some of the best in the Premier League in their positions. This includes Cole Palmer, Moises Caicedo, Marc Cucurella, Enzo Fernandez, and so on.
However, there’s another side to this story with some signings leaving fans asking the question: Why did Chelsea ever sign them? Joao Felix certainly falls under that category.
The Blues signed the 25-year-old just a year ago, but the move has quickly backfired. He spent the second half of last season on loan at AC Milan and the Portuguese international is now on the verge of a permanent exit.
It was previously reported that Benfica are one of the clubs interested in signing Felix. Now, new reports have confirmed further developments regarding the same.
Benfica trying to sign Joao Felix from Chelsea and engaged in talks with his agent
In a post on X, Fabrizio Romano has stated that Benfica are actively trying to sign Felix, with talks now ongoing with his agent. He will leave and negotiations are expected to advance soon. The Portuguese international is keen on the comeback.
Felix was brought in from Atletico Madrid for a fee of €52 million. Although he had a modest start to his second stint at Chelsea with seven goals in 20 appearances, he was clearly a backup option with most of his football coming in the Conference League or as a substitute. In the second half of the last season, he was sent to AC Milan but the player was not able to perform there as well.
It is noteworthy that even before landing at Stamford Bridge, Felix was dealing with a lack of form. He was sent on loan to Barcelona in the 23/24 campaign, where he scored 10 goals, showing flashes of his undeniable ability but struggling to establish himself, as has been the case wherever he has been.
The failure of Felix at Chelsea should serve as a lesson for the club to be more cautious in the future regarding their signings. It always felt like a signing that was not in the plans but put together at the last minute after a move for Samu collapsed after everything had seemed done. Incidentally, the striker has since moved to FC Porto and has had a brilliant time there.