Aubameyang and Cucurella part of Chelsea’s plan to sign João Félix from Atlético

João Félix has a contract with Atlético Madrid until 2027, but his future remains up in the air. Chelsea owner Todd Boehly wants to keep the player, who is on loan at Stamford Bridge until the end of the season. The 23-year-old would also like to remain in England, but Atlético want a significant fee, one that Chelsea are unlikely to reach. Atléti want a fee in the region of €100m, meaning Chelsea are now looking for alternatives.

Cucurella and Aubameyang as part of potential deal

Chelsea’s idea is to include players in the deal to lower the payment for the purchase of João. The Blues have a bloated squad and a surplus of players in almost every area. According to the Evening Standard, the London club intends to put Marc Cucurella and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in as part of a potential deal. Aubameyang cost Chelsea €12m and Cucurella joined for €68m.

Over the summer, Chelsea will put several players (Kovacic, Pulisic, Ziyech, Mount...) in the shop window as they need to make money to balance the books after their spending in the last two windows. However, Atlético would be interested in a sale and will not make it easy to get rid of what is still their most expensive signing ever. Atlético paid €127m to Benfica for João Félix, although he has not had a good season in Spain or in England.

Another loan deal for João Félix

The other option for the Premier League side would be a loan deal. Just like in January, they believe they could make a payment of between €15m and €20m to keep the forward for another year. This, however, is not the preferred option for Atléti.