are holding out for a fee of around of around €60 million (£51.2m) from for Portuguese striker , according to reports in Spain.
Chelsea’s quest to bring in another striker took a dramatic twist last weekend when a .
The 20-year-old was set to complete a switch to west in a deal worth £34.5million fee but negotiations
Atletico, who have completed the signing of Julian Alvarez from Manchester City, have also agreed a deal to sign Conor Gallagher from Chelsea but reportedly need additional funds to get that move over the line.
Both clubs – – are are unwilling to see the deal collapse, with Chelsea now now attempting to strike a new agreement with Atletico for Joao Felix to provide funds for Gallagher’s transfer.
The Portuguese 24-year-old, who spent six months on loan at Chelsea in 2023, is said to be .
However, while Chelsea have not made an official offer thus far, reports from Spanish publication suggest that there is a sizeable gap in both club’s valuation of the forward.
Chelsea are keen to pay around €40m for Joao Felix – a similar fee to that which they agreed with Atletico for Omorodion.
However, the Spanish club are keen to recoup more of the €126m fee they paid for Joao Felix in 2019 and will demand around €60m for the striker.
In order to stump up such a figure, the Blues could be forced to sell squad players to raise funds, with following the
Centre-back Trevor Chalobah is another expected to depart this window having been
Joao Felix was sent off on his Chelsea debut back in 2023 and went on to score only scored four goals in 20 appearances in his previous stint at the club.
Maresca’s side get their Premier League campaign underway on Sunday against defending champions Manchester City.
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