Atletico Madrid are concerned that Chelsea may decide not to sign on-loan forward Joao Felix permanently following a series of sub-par displays, according to Cadena SER.
Chelsea paid around €11 million to bring the 23-year-old to Stamford Bridge in the January transfer window, with the club keen to reinforce their attacking line.
Felix impressed with his technical ability in his debut match – a London derby away to Fulham – but was sent off in the 58th minute following a reckless tackle.
Having served a three-match suspension, the Portugal international returned to the fold with a bang, scoring on his home debut against West Ham United.
However, Felix has since experienced a dip in form, scoring just twice in 11 Premier League games and failed to impact Chelsea’s Champions League campaign.
The former Benfica prodigy was a second-half substitute in the 2-0 quarter-final second-leg defeat to Real Madrid but offered the Blues nothing in attack.
Chelsea were intent on signing Felix permanently when his six months loan deal expires this summer, with Atletico reportedly willing to let the forward go for around €80m.
However, Felix’s recent displays have thrown his long-term future at the Bridge in doubt, leaving his parent club concerned in their bid to offload their record signing.
Felix signed a contract extension with Atletico before joining Chelsea but is not in Diego Simeone’s long-term plans, with the Spanish giants snapping up Memphis Depay from rivals Barcelona to replace him.
Depay has flourished since he arrived at the Civitas Metropolitan Stadium, scoring four goals in nine La Liga games, having formed a productive relationship with striking partner Antoine Griezmann.
Atletico are keen on offloading Felix and will hope that Newcastle United, who enquired about the player’s availability before he joined Chelsea, return for his services.
However, the Magpies will only be able to fund a mega move if they realise their ambitions of finishing in the Champions League places, with Eddie Howe’s side currently fourth in the Premier League.
