Joao Felix joins Chelsea on loan but extends Altletico Madrid contract

Joao Felix extends his contract with Atletico Madrid despite joining Chelsea on loan.

Chelsea has already added four players to its roster in January, but Joao Felix is unquestionably the most well-known.

Joo Felix, a striker from Portugal, has been loaned out from Atlético Madrid to Chelsea, where he will remain for the conclusion of the current campaign. As was revealed on Wednesday, Felix has also extended his contract with Atletico for one another year, or until June 2027.

I am really glad to be here and am very thrilled to play at Stamford Bridge since Chelsea is one of the best teams in the world, and I aim to assist the club achieve its goals, the player stated.

When Atlético activated the 126 million euro (about $140 million) buyout clause in Felix's contract in 2019 to recruit him from Benfica, he rose to the third-most expensive player of all time.

Under head coach Diego Simeone, the 23-year-old Felix is no longer a lock to start, but Atletico nonetheless pushed to extend his current contract. Atlético de Madrid issued a statement in which it wished Joo Félix "every success on this new professional stage."

At Chelsea, where the team has been lacking offensive inspiration due to a string of disappointing recent losses that have put manager Graham Potter under pressure, Felix will be hoping to regain his best form.The Ivory Coast forward David Datro Fofana, the Brazilian midfielder Andrey Santos, and the France defence Benoît Badiashile have all joined Chelsea this month, making a total of four players recruited by Chelsea in January, although Felix is by far the most well-known.

Felix, who participated in four of Portugal's five games at the World Cup in Qatar, increases the wealth of attacking options available to Potter, pending fitness. Felix will contend with Raheem Sterling, Christian Pulisic, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Kai Havertz, and Hakim Ziyech for a position in the forward line.

Félix was a high-profile move in 2019 to replace Antoine Griezmann, who had left Atlético to join Barcelona, but he never quite lived up to the expectations that came with it. When he was 19 years old, many in Portugal thought of Félix as the replacement.

to Cristiano Ronaldo, and Atlético supporters anticipated that he would emerge as the team's leading star.

His underwhelming first season was mostly attributed to the fact that he needed more time to get used to playing in a top league. The next season, despite dealing with ailments and playing a minor role in the title campaign, he and Atlético won the Spanish league championship. Since then, he has occasionally performed at a high level, but not regularly as his supporters had anticipated.

Simeone, who has frequently denied having any issues with the player, is said to have become more at odds with him, according to reports that led to his resignation.