Zlatan Ibrahimovic has made it possible for AC Milan to get Joao Felix from Chelsea in the summer on a permanent basis.
Felix, 25, moved to Stamford Bridge from Atletico Madrid for £45 million last summer, but he soon discovered that it was difficult to get consistent playing time there. It was never going to be easy for Felix to establish himself in Enzo Maresca’s lineup since Chelsea had so many offensive alternatives, including England international Cole Palmer. The attacker only made three appearances in the Premier League before deciding to start again in Italy.
Despite there being no obligation for Milan to buy Felix at the end of his loan spell, Ibrahimovic has not ruled out the possibility of making the move permanent. Speaking to Sky Sports, Milan’s senior advisor said: “Everything is possible. We want to trust Joao in order to see his best performances, then everything is possible.”
Chelsea, having seen little return on their £45 million investment, may be open to selling Felix in the summer. However, the Blues are expected to demand a fee close to what they originally paid, which may be an issue in any negotiations with Milan.
Felix has made an immediate impact since arriving in Serie A, scoring on his debut in a 3-1 victory over Roma. This spurred Ibrahimovic to express confidence in Felix’s ability, saying: “He has already introduced himself with a magical goal. He is a great talent, he has experience, but he is young and can still grow a lot. We looked for a player between midfield and attack for blocked matches, against closed teams and here he can make the difference. He is a player of magic and this is something you either have or you don’t. His quality speaks for itself and we are satisfied. We must now put him in a position to do the best he can.”
Securing Felix permanently would require significant financial investment, and Milan may need to offload key players to fund the move. Reports suggest that the Rossoneri could be prepared to part ways with star winger Rafael Leao, who has been linked with a move to Barcelona. If selling Leao is not an option, Milan may instead consider offloading Theo Hernandez in the summer to prevent him from leaving for free when his contract expires next year.
Felix’s next challenge will be to help Milan overturn a 1-0 deficit against Feyenoord in the Champions League. The Italian side suffered a disappointing first-leg defeat in the round of 16 playoffs last week, and the Portuguese playmaker will be keen to make an impact in the return leg on Tuesday.
