Chelsea FC announced on Wednesday that they have completed the signing of Portugal forward Joao Felix from Atletico Madrid on a seven-year deal.
Felix previously had a loan stint at Chelsea during the 2022-23 season, where he scored four goals in 20 appearances, and spent the last campaign on loan at Barcelona, netting 10 goals in 44 games.
“It’s a chance for me to find a home,” Felix said in an interview. “After two loans, Chelsea and Barca, I needed to stay permanently in one place.” He added, “There’s no better place for me to be than Chelsea. I see a perfect place to shine. I felt really good when I was here, despite the results we had. I’m really happy to be back.”
Felix becomes Chelsea’s 10th summer signing, following the arrivals of Tosin Adarabioyo, Omari Kellyman, Marc Guiu, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Renato Veiga, Caleb Wiley, Aaron Anselmino, Filip Jorgensen, and Pedro Neto.
Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca highlighted Felix’s versatility, stating, “The good thing about Joao is that he can play in different positions. He can play inside, he can play as a (number) nine, he can play outside.”
Chelsea will face Swiss side Servette in the Europa Conference League playoff stage on Thursday, followed by a Premier League match against Wolverhampton Wanderers on Sunday.
In a related move, Atletico Madrid announced the signing of England midfielder Conor Gallagher from Chelsea on a five-year deal.
Gallagher, who joined Chelsea at age eight, has signed a contract with Atletico until 2029. Last season, he started 37 Premier League games, missing only one through suspension. Gallagher made his England debut in 2021, has 18 caps, and featured in five matches at Euro 2024, where England reached the final but lost 2-1 to Spain.
Atletico Madrid has invested around 200 million euros on new signings, including Spain defender Robin Le Normand and Norway striker Alexander Sorloth.