Chelsea head coach Mauricio Pochettino does not want his club to sign Joao Felix from Atletico Madrid for next season.
Atletico Madrid president Enrique Cerezo has announced that the Argentine manager of the Londoners is not counting on the player for next season.
Cerezo said (via Fabrizio Romano): “We have been informed that Poch does not count with Joao Felix for Chelsea. He will return here. We’ll see. We have nothing planned.”
Cerezo added that he received the information around 24 hours ago.
Joao Felix will likely return to Los Colchoneros, where he will find another club to move to. He could join another club on loan or leave permanently.
However, Felix does not plan on staying in Madrid. His relationship with Atletico manager Diego Simeone has deteriorated, and he does not want to be under him.
The 23-year-old joined Chelsea on loan this summer to escape him. He scored only four goals in a poor Chelsea side.
Sometimes his brilliance was captivating, but it was not enough to convince Pochettino to keep him around.
With Christopher Nkunku coming at the end of the season, there is no space for Felix in the Chelsea squad.
Pochettino is already making crucial decisions at the club as they hope to put this season behind them.
Pochettino, who does not officially resume till July 1, has asked the club to sign a defensive midfielder.
The Blues are pursuing a deal for Sporting CP man Manuel Ugarte. Pochettino is a fan of the Uruguayan midfield enforcer.
Also, Chelsea will look to sign a new striker and goalkeeper before addressing the most important part of their summer.
Principally, the Londoners have to sell a lot of players this summer. They have a bloated squad and need to trim it down to a manageable size.
Several players like Mason Mount, Hakim Ziyech, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, and Edouard Mendy already have one leg out the door.
