Chelsea will meet with Atletico Madrid in the coming weeks to discuss the signing of Joao Felix, according to AS.
The Portuguese international has impressed despite playing for a poor Chelsea team this campaign.
He has been their best-performing attacker since joining the club on a six-month loan in January.
Felix has brought exciting dribbling and creativity to the attacking line. He has scored twice and created one big chance in ten Premier League appearances.
The 23-year-old is happy and enjoying his football in London, and the club want to keep him. They see him as one of the cornerstones of their project going forward.
Even with the uncertainty over the managerial position, the club is pushing for Felix. They believe he will be a solid addition for top targets Luis Enrique or Julian Nagelsmann.
Atletico Madrid parted with a record €127 million to sign Felix from Benfica in 2019 after one season in the top flight.
He struggled to adapt in Spain, with coach Diego Simeone preferring other stars to him. Injuries did not help his cause.
As the player struggled to get game time, he fell out with Simeone. It came to a head after the 2022 World Cup.
Felix made it clear he wanted to leave to find game time. Chelsea and Arsenal showed interest in the attacker, but the Blues got him, paying €11 million to take him for six months.
Chelsea owners have been impressed with his enthusiasm and want to meet with Atletico to discuss figures.
However, Los Colchoneros don’t want to sell the talented attacker cheaply and have set an €80 million price tag.
Chelsea have spent recklessly since Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali bought the club.
It will be unsurprising if they fork out something around that figure to take Felix.
