
Chelsea set asking price as transfer flop Joao Felix chooses next club
Chelsea have set their asking price for Joao Felix after the Stamford Bridge flop held further talks with boyhood club Benfica, according to reports in Portugal.
Felix, 25, is set to leave Chelsea this summer after a dismal spell at the club.
Chelsea spent £45m to sign the Portuguese playmaker from Atletico Madrid last summer but he started just three Premier League games before being sent on loan to AC Milan in January.
Felix did little to win over new Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca and suffered a similar fate in Milan where he continued to struggle, ending any hopes of a permanent move to the Italians.
Benfica have held talks with Chelsea over a deal for Felix and the Premier League club have indicated they will happily sell him – providing they receive an offer of at least £21m.
Wake up to find news on your club in your inbox every morning with Metro's Football Newsletter.
Sign up to our newsletter and then select your team in the link we'll send you so we can get football news tailored to you.
Portuguese outlet A Bola say Benfica are 'dreaming' of bringing Felix back to the club where he came through the ranks and first established himself as a potential superstar.
They even want a deal to be completed in time for Felix to feature for Benfica at the upcoming Club World Cup, which starts on June 15.
Felix scored 20 goals in his first and only season in Benfica's first-team before being signed by Atletico Madrid for £113m in 2019, making him the fourth-most expensive player in history.
Benfica now have the chance to re-sign him for at least £21m but the real obstacle potentially blocking the deal is Felix's huge salary.
A Bola say Benfica are not able to 'even come close' to matching Felix's Chelsea wages so the ex-Barcelona loanee will need to take a significant pay-cut to return to the club. https://www.instagram.com/p/DKFjY5fCDAo/?hl=en&img_index=1
Ex-Chelsea title winner John Obi Mikel recently urged his former club to sell Felix this summer and said he had 'no idea' why he returned to Stamford Bridge.
'The reason why he came back to Chelsea, I have no idea,' he told the Daily Telegraph. 'Spending £40-£50 million on bringing him back and letting him go on loan after a few months. More Trending
'I just don't understand it at all and how that happened. I'm sure Paul Winstanley and the rest of the guys have learnt from that, and not to make the same mistake again.
'He's been at the club twice now and not performed. It has to be sell.'
Felix was on the bench for Portugal during their Nations League semi-final win over Germany on Wednesday night.
He will hope to get an opportunity to make an impact on Sunday evening when Portugal face Spain in the Nations League final at the Allianz Arena.
For more stories like this, check our sport page.
Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
MORE: Liverpool star responds to rumours he could complete Bayern Munich transfer
MORE: Key Liverpool star hints at Anfield exit with contract expiring next summer
MORE: Bayer Leverkusen respond to Liverpool's £113m transfer bid for Florian Wirtz
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


BBC News
11 minutes ago
- BBC News
Portugal beat Spain on penalties to win Nations League
It was a historic night for Portugal as they beat defending champions Spain 5-3 on penalties to win the Nations League. The match went to spot kicks after it had finished 2-2 after extra have now become the first country in the competition to lift the trophy for a second previously won the title six years ago, in 2019. What happened in the final? Many people were excited for the final as two huge names in football faced each other for the first time - 40-year-old Portugal captain and legend Ronaldo and Spain's teenage sensation Lamine Yamal. And the match didn't disappoint, with goals from both were first to score through Martin Zubimendi after 21 their lead didn't last long, as Portugal's Nuno Mendes slammed a low strike into the far corner of the net five minutes later to level the match then got their second thanks to Mikel Oyarzabal, taking a 2-1 lead into half-time. In the second half, it was Ronaldo who came to Portugal's rescue - volleying in his 138th international goal to take the score to 2-2, which is how the game ended after 90 neither side scoring in extra time, the moment had arrived for the dreaded penalty netted all five of their spot kicks, with Spain's Álvaro Morata the only man to miss - meaning it was Ronaldo's side who lifted the trophy. After the match, the 40-year-old legend was in tears as he explained how much the title meant to said: "Winning for Portugal is always special. "I have many titles with clubs, but nothing is better than winning for Portugal."It is the third trophy that Ronaldo has won with Portugal, after previously being crowned Euro 2016 champions and lifting the Nations League in 2019.

The National
15 minutes ago
- The National
Five Scotland talking points as pressure mounts on Clarke
Steve Clarke's side lost 3-1 at home to Iceland on Friday in the first fixture of their June friendly double header. Here are some of the key talking points ahead of the game at the Rheinpark Stadium. The pressure is on Scotland suffered defeat against Iceland (Andrew Miligan/PA) Scotland are in dire need of a victory ahead of their World Cup qualifying campaign, which takes place in the autumn against Denmark, Belarus and Greece. Scotland looked like they had turned a corner after a solitary win, against Gibraltar, in 16 matches, when they recorded three impressive Nations League victories in a row. But they followed up by losing six goals in Hampden defeats against Greece and Iceland. Goalkeeper SOS Squad update. IN: Ross Doohan & Callan Angus Gunn & Robby McCrorie. Congratulations to both goalkeepers on their first senior call-ups 👏#LIESCO — Scotland National Team (@ScotlandNT) June 8, 2025 Steve Clarke called up Aberdeen second-choice keeper Ross Doohan after Cieran Slicker endured a difficult debut in the wake of injuries to Angus Gunn and Robby McCrorie on Friday, and with Craig Gordon, Liam Kelly and Zander Clark all missing through injury. Doohan has 13 Scotland Under-21 caps to his name and nearly 200 first-team appearances and the 27-year-old looks likely to start to give Slicker some respite. Facing the minnows There are only three professionals in the Liechtenstein squad and they are listed at 205 in the FIFA world rankings, although they were on the end of bottom-ranked San Marino's first win for 20 years in November. Liechtenstein have started their qualification campaign with three defeats without netting a goal, the latest a 3-0 loss against Wales. Previous meetings Stephen McManus headed a late winner in the first meeting (PA) Scotland have laboured to wins in their only two encounters against the Alpine principality. Stephen McManus headed a winner seven minutes into stoppage time at Hampden in September 2010 to saved boss Craig Levein from a disastrous competitive home debut. Mario Frick had grabbed a shock opener on his 36th birthday before Kenny Miller levelled. Craig Mackail-Smith's first goal in his first start for his country was the difference between the sides in Vaduz in the return fixture in the Euro 2012 qualifiers. Changes afoot Clarke signalled he would freshen up the team more than he usually does and he will have to make at least two outfield changes after losing Kieran Tierney and Scott McTominay to injury. He is likely to revert to a back three in the wake of the returning Celtic defender's absence while Andy Irving and Kieran Bowie are pushing for debuts after Lennon Miller won his first cap off the bench against Iceland.


Metro
18 minutes ago
- Metro
De la Fuente reveals why he took off Lamine Yamal in Spain's defeat to Portugal
Luis de la Fuente says he brought off a 'tired' Lamine Yamal in Spain's Nations League final defeat to Portugal as he needed to inject some 'energy' into his side. Sunday night's showpiece had been widely billed as a meeting between five-time Ballon d'Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo and 17-year-old Barcelona sensation Yamal – one of the frontrunners for this year's prize. And it was Ronaldo's Portugal who eventually prevailed, but it took extra-time and penalties to decide the victors after an absorbing contest at Munich's Allianz Arena. Nuno Mendes cancelled out Martin Zubimendi's opener with a superb low strike beyond Unai Simon in the 26th minute, only for Mikel Oyarzabal to restor Spain's advantage at the end of a frantic first half. But Ronaldo outmuscled Marc Cucurella to find an equaliser for the Portuguese just past the hour mark before Roberto Martinez's men came out on top via a nerve-shredding shootout. An emotional Ronaldo was pictured in floods of tears as Portugal secured the title for a second time, six years after winning the inaugural tournament in 2019. Meanwhile, Yamal and Co were lift to lick their wounds, with the teenager clearly less than impressed to be taken off for Yeremy Pino midway through extra-time in Germany. 'We wanted to give the game a bit more energy,' De la Fuente told reporters at his post-match press conference when quizzed on the decision. 'The introduction of Yeremy Pino and Alex Baena gave us that energy, that control of the game that we had lost, as well as our finishing and shooting.' De la Fuente believes Yamal was showing signs of fatigue after a long and gruelling season, in which the youngster had made 62 appearances in all competitions for club and country. 'He is tired because he has been competing since Thursday, there has been little rest. He has had a very difficult year,' the Spanish head coach added. 'He is 17 years old and we have to behave accordingly. 'Today, we understood that it was time to replace him to give another player the opportunity to come in, so that he brings a little more energy.' LAMINE YAMAL EXPLODES AFTER BEING SUBBED OFF!😡🚨This was the Spanish player's reaction after being taken out by Luis de la Fuente—he threw his bottle and clearly showed his frustration with the decision!❌What could've happened if he had stayed on the pitch?🤔#LamineYamal — MARCA in English 🇺🇸 (@MARCAinENGLISH) June 8, 2025 Ronaldo urged fans to give Yamal the time and space he needs to develop at his own pace prior to the clash. Speaking in the mixed zone after Portugal's victory, he repeated the sentiment, while backing the winger to enjoy a 'very long career' at the top. 'He's going to win a lot of titles, both collective and individual,' the 40-year-old Portuguese captain told Spanish outlet Mundo Deportivo. 'He's only 17 years old… I repeat: he's a kid with a lot of room for improvement. 'He's a phenomenon, but we have to leave him alone, that's what I ask. 'He has a very long career ahead of him and will surely win the Nations League many times.' More Trending On De la Fuente's decision to bring Yamal off, Ronaldo replied: 'Your coach is a phenomenon. 'He knows better than I do what the team needs… I'm not a coach. 'He's already won several titles with Spain. What more do you want me to say? 'If the coach made the decision, it was because he thought it was the best thing to improve his team.' For more stories like this, check our sport page. Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. MORE: Football fan dies after falling from stand during Portugal v Spain final MORE: Portugal vs Spain TV channel and live stream: How to watch Nations League final in the UK tonight MORE: Franck Ribery hits back at Cristiano Ronaldo over Ballon d'Or claim