Chelsea train ahead of Champions League trip to Borussia Dortmund
Chelsea loanee Joao Felix has just three months to convince the Blues co-owner Todd Boehly that he should part with an eye-watering fee to make his temporary deal permanent in the summer. Despite Diego Simeone keen to see the Portugal international depart, Atletico Madrid are likely to slap a huge price tag on the head of a player for whom they paid £120million in 2019.
After a debut red card against Fulham, Felix has a maximum of 16 Premier League games to ensure Chelsea make his move permanent. Express Sport looks at four players who could prevent a deal from happening.
Kai Havertz
Haverts was initially signed by Chelsea as an attacker midfielder. His wonderful creative performances for Bayer Leverkusen persuaded the Blues to spend just over £75m on the exciting German in 2020.
However, the 23-year-old has spent much of his career at Stamford Bridge playing as a centre-forward. Chelsea’s failure to sign a top-quality striker has seen Havertz play up front.
Havertz’s displays have earned mixed reviews. But should he continue to improve in the role, he might tempt Chelsea into not paying a huge fee for Felix.
Chelsea star Joao Felix scored his first goal in the 1-1 draw with West Ham (Image: Getty)
Noni Madueke
Chelsea took a huge punt on England U21 attacker Noni Madueke in January. The west Londoners secured a £30m transfer for the winger from PSV.
A former Tottenham youngster, Madueke has enjoyed a decent start with the Blues. The 20-year-old has impressed in his two appearances so far.
Capable of playing on either wings or through the middle, Madueke offers a versatile presence in Graham Potter’s squad. There could be little room for Felix if Madueke and Chelsea’s other attackers excel in the final months of the season.
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Noni Madueke (right) could influence Joao Felix's Chelsea future (Image: Getty)
There were high hopes for Armando Broja when he returned from an excellent loan spell with Southampton at the start of the season. But the Albanian scarcely featured under Thomas Tuchel and was not given a fair shot when the German was replaced by Graham Potter in September.
The arrival of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang meant that Broja was the second-choice recognised striker for much of the first half of the campaign, while even Havertz was preferred on occasion.
Disaster struck for the academy graduate when he suffered a serious knee injury during a mid-season friendly with Aston Villa in December. The 21-year-old is likely to be out for most of the season.
But Broja could return better than ever in the summer. A natural finisher with the physical presence to lead the forward line in the Premier League, Broja is more of a natural centre-forward than the diminutive Felix.
Chelsea star Armando Broja is absent with a long-term injury (Image: Getty)
David Datro Fofana
David Datro Fofana was a risk-averse January signing. Chelsea paid just over £10m to sign the young forward from Norwegian club Molde at the start of the window, before they embarked on their big-spending spree.
Just 20, Potter has insisted that Fofana will be given time to develop before becoming a regular starter at Chelsea. But he arrives with a reputation for being a prolific attacker, bagging 24 goals in 65 appearances for Molde. He also provided 10 assists, proving he can also be creative.
Like Madueke, Fofana can play on either wings or as a striker. Felix’s Chelsea future could depend on whether all the club's current attackers outshine the 23-year-old during his loan spell.
