Chelsea were busy trying to offload unnecessary players during the summer transfer period, and just a year after he signed, they found a buyer for Joan Felix
The news that Joan Felix is on his way to Saudi Arabia has boosted Chelsea’s attempts to off-road players they don’t want. Felix is one of many flops that Enzo Maresca is eager to shift to the summer transfer window, and he has now agreed to the move to Al Nasr.
Chelsea made the mistake worse by paying £45 million to sign Felix from Atletico Madrid on the deadline last summer, then handing over a seven-year contract. He was signed to help promote Connor Gallagher’s movement in the opposite direction after the transfer of Atleti striker Sam Omologion fell.
Undesired by Maresca, Felix was loaned out to AC Milan late last season, where he continued to be overwhelmed. Chelsea tried to return him to his boyhood club Benfica, but his reluctance to agree to a £35 million ask price caused Al Nassl to plummet.
The Saudi Arabian side, who lends John Duran to Fenerbafe but still has Cristiano Ronaldo and Sadio Manet, agreed to pay Chelsea a £26 million initial fee. That’s nothing compared to the £113 million Atletico Madrid paid Benfica six years ago to Benfica, but it’s still a good result for Chelsea, who is working on a deal between Xavi Simons and Jorrel Hato.
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The Bruce has been doing relatively well in terms of player sales this summer, offloading Noni Madueke to Bournemouth for £25 million on a £52 million deal with Arsenal and Jorge Petrovic. However, many other players on the transfer list remain.
Nicholas Jackson is in a different position than others and has attracted interest from others such as Manchester United. Senegal International was pushed down the pecking order following the arrival of Joa Pedro and Liam Delap, but it is not desirable for Maresca.
Meanwhile, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Renato Veiga, Raheem Sterling and Ben Chilwell are all expected to leave. Maresca didn’t like to work with the bloated team, and set off in the greenery.
Dewsbury-Hall has been appointed by Fulham, but the deal has not yet arrived as Bruce is pushing for a loan agreement for the midfielder who joined Leicester last summer for £30 million.
Veiga will head to Atletico Madrid after spending the second half of last season on loan with Juventus. Chelsea holds £35 million for the versatile player who signed from Basel for £11.7 million last summer, but Atleti cherishes him at £25 million.
Things are quiet for Sterling and Chilwell, who had loans to Arsenal and Crystal Palace last summer, respectively. Both are seniors at Stamford Bridge and therefore important players off-roading, and the rules of profit and sustainability are constant battles.
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