Chelsea are reportedly preparing to offer Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Marc Cucurella to Atletico Madrid in a swap deal to sign Joao Felix permanently.
The Blues refused interest from Manchester United and Arsenal to sign Felix to the Premier League in January, instead agreeing to a loan agreement with Atletico until the end of the season.
Chelsea paid €11m (£9.6m) to lure Felix away from the Wanda Metropolitano, albeit his temporary contract does not include a buy option or commitment.
However, the 23-year-old has only managed three goals and zero assists in 17 games for Chelsea, who are currently 11th in the Premier League rankings.
Felix has also failed to start in any of Chelsea’s last four Premier League games, appearing for just six minutes off the bench in Saturday’s victory against Bournemouth.
Despite a lackluster set of figures, Chelsea executives are said to be impressed enough with Felix’s impact to want to turn his loan agreement into a permanent one.
According to the Evening Standard, the Blues are in constant talks with Atletico Madrid on ways to keep the Portugal international at Stamford Bridge, but Diego Simeone’s side are proving tricky negotiators.
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With Felix still under contract to Atletico until 2027, having extended his contract immediately before leaving for London, the Rojiblancos are reportedly demanding £88m to allow him leave permanently.
Alternatively, the La Liga giants would be willing to loan Felix out for the 2023-24 season for a cost of £16m.
According to the report, Atletico Madrid are interested in signing both Aubameyang and Cucurella, whose debut seasons in West London have not gone as planned.
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