Atletico Madrid turn down €45M offer from Chelsea for Joao Felix, transfer fee demanded by club comes to light - Reports

Chelsea and Atletico Madrid remain in discussions over potential player transfers between the two clubs. After the collapse of Samu Omorodion’s move to Stamford Bridge, the Blues turned their attention to Joao Felix, but according to journalist Ruben Uria, Atletico Madrid have rejected Chelsea’s €45 million offer.

The Spanish side are holding out for a transfer fee of €60 million and will only consider selling Felix if that valuation is met. This situation may also impact the Conor Gallagher deal, which hit a stand-still after Omorodion’s move fell through.

Felix is a player Chelsea have previously monitored. The 24-year-old joined the Premier League side on loan in January 2023, but scored just four goals in 20 appearances. After returning to Madrid, he was loaned to Barcelona for the 2023-24 season, where he played a key role under Xavi.

Initially, Gallagher was set to move to Atletico Madrid for a reported fee of €36 million, with Omorodion moving the other way. Although negotiations between the clubs were successful, the deal collapsed late due to contractual issues with the Spanish striker.

After visiting Madrid to complete his medical, Gallagher has returned to London and is expected to train with Chelsea's under-21 squad. A move to Spain could still be possible, depending on Chelsea’s negotiations for Joao Felix, who might return to the five-time Premier League champions.

Chelsea, meanwhile, are reportedly also monitoring Napoli’s Victor Osimhen, with a potential deal possibly involving out-of-favor forward Romelu Lukaku moving in the opposite direction.

Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher criticizes Chelsea’s transfer activity

It has certainly been a tumultuous transfer window for Chelsea, despite several signings this summer. The latest addition is Pedro Neto, who joined from Wolves for up to £54 million, while the club are still looking to add a few more players.

With this signing, the squad now includes around 40 players, which makes it a significant challenge for Enzo Maresca to pick his starting lineup.

Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher, however, has expressed dissatisfaction with how Chelsea have managed the transfer window and questions how Maresca will bring cohesion among the players.

“That’s the 35th signing, as I said, just over two years. That’s embarrassing from Chelsea’s point of transfer phase. You create no cohesion, no team spirit. If you’re making two or three every summer, you must really want them. It’s an absolute joke that someone makes that many transfers in such a short period of time,” Carragher said (via Blood Red Podcast)

After playing five friendlies, Chelsea will now focus on the Premier League, where they will face Manchester City in their opening game on Sunday, August 18.