West Ham United and Wolverhampton Wanderers are reportedly interested in signing 25-year-old Portuguese international Joao Felix from Chelsea this summer.
According to a report by Graeme Bailey on TBR Football, Joao Felix is the subject of interest from West Ham United. The Hammers are scouring the market for a versatile attacker heading into the summer transfer window amid uncertainties surrounding Mohammed Kudus’s long-term future. So, the Portuguese forward has emerged as a target for the East London club amid his struggles at AC Milan, on loan from Chelsea.
Joao Felix and his struggles at Chelsea
Joao Felix was once among the most highly-rated prospects in the world when he broke onto the scene at SL Benfica. European bigwigs chased his signature before Atletico Madrid beat stiff competition to his signature in July 2019. However, despite showing flashes of brilliance, he failed to make his mark at the Spanish club.
Loan moves to Chelsea and Barcelona promised much but did not yield much success. However, Chelsea brought the 25-year-old back from Atletico Madrid to Stamford Bridge in a deal worth £45 million last summer, although he struggled for regular game time before joining AC Milan on loan in the winter transfer window.
The move to AC Milan has not worked as well as he would have liked either, with the player managing only one goal and one assist in 14 appearances across all competitions thus far for the Rossoneri. However, Felix’s stock in the market is high, with West Ham United emerging as the latest suitor to show interest in the Portuguese international.
Move across London on the horizon?
West Ham United’s interest in Joao Felix makes sense. The Hammers are combing the market for a versatile attacker heading into the summer transfer window amid uncertainties surrounding Mohammed Kudus’s long-term future. The Ghanaian international is a target for several Premier League bigwigs, with Saudi Pro League outfits also keen on signing him.
So, Felix has emerged as a viable target for West Ham as he can be a like-for-like replacement for Kudus at the London Stadium. Interestingly, Chelsea will unlikely keep Felix at Stamford Bridge beyond the summer transfer window after “encouraging” the player’s camp to “touch base with other clubs”.
Meanwhile, West Ham will face stiff competition for Felix’s signature, with recent reports linking him with a return to SL Benfica. So, it will be interesting to see what the future has in store for the Chelsea flop and how much the Blues lose on their investment of £45 million.