English Premier League

João Félix joins Chelsea on half-season loan deal

Updated Jan. 10, 2023 7:05 p.m. ET

Atlético Madrid and Chelsea F.C. have reached a verbal agreement on a loan deal for Portugal star João Félix, according to multiple reports. Chelsea will pay Madrid a fee of $11.8 million in addition to Félix's salary for the remainder of the season.

There is no buy option for Chelsea in the deal.

It's not typical for a club to send a player of Félix's status out on loan, but the 23-year-old was clearly unhappy with the lack of playing time he was getting under Diego Simeone, and Atléti needed a way to resolve the situation. It doesn't seem to be the beginning of the end of Félix's time in Madrid, though, as he signed a contract extension with Madrid through 2027 before he agreed to the loan.

While on loan, Félix will have the opportunity to break into Graham Potter's first team. Chelsea has made several attempts to solve its issues in the attack in the last year — including a $118 million transfer for Romelu Lukaku, a $57 million transfer for Raheem Sterling and an $11.8 million transfer for Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang — but none of its investments have paid off thus far.

Chelsea's also had bad luck with injuries this season. In its 4-0 loss to Manchester City on Sunday, Aubameyang was sidelined and Sterling and Christian Pulisic had to be subbed off with injuries of their own.

Félix might not be the answer for Chelsea in the short or long term, but it had to do something to save its season, and it could have done a lot worse than Félix, one the most promising young attacking talents in European soccer.

Chelsea currently sits 10th in the Premier League with a record of 7-4-6. Atlético Madrid is fifth in La Liga 8-3-5.

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