Chelsea are reportedly set to complete the signing of Atletico Madrid forward Joao Felix, a target for Arsenal.
According to a report from The Athletic, Chelsea have already secured a verbal agreement to sign Joao Felix on a loan deal until the end of the season. The 23-year-old Portuguese international was also a target for Arsenal.
The Blues are reportedly paying a fee of around €11 million for the 23-year-old La Liga forward, and they will cover the entirety of his wages. The player was reportedly a target for Manchester United and Arsenal as well.
But Felix has opted to join Chelsea because he is attracted by their project. The Gunners need to bring in reinforcements after the injury to Gabriel Jesus, and Felix was reportedly a target for Mikel Arteta. It will be interesting to see if Arsenal can bring in a reliable goalscorer before the January transfer window closes.
The 23-year-old has had a difficult time at the Spanish club since joining them for a club-record fee. But he was highly impressive in the recently-concluded World Cup with this country. And Felix will hope to get his career back on track with regular football at Chelsea now.
If Felix manages to impress in the Premier League, there could be a number of suitors willing to sign him permanently at the end of the season. The player has reportedly fallen out of favour with Diego Simeone and needed to leave Atletico Madrid to resurrect his career.
Felix was regarded as a world-class talent before his move to Atletico Madrid. And there is no doubt that he has the quality to transform Chelsea in the final third. The Blues are in desperate need of attacking reinforcements, as the likes of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Raheem Sterling and Kai Havertz have been largely underwhelming this season.
The 23-year-old Portuguese international can play anywhere across the front three and could be a useful option for Graham Potter during the second half of the season. The report from The Athletic adds that Chelsea will look to bring in more reinforcements before the January transfer window closes.
Chelsea are desperate to secure UEFA Champions League qualification for next season, and they will need to improve their squad to overtake the likes of Manchester United and Tottenham in the table. The Blues have already signed David Fofana, Andrey Santos and Benoit Badiashile this month.
