Chelsea agree huge transfer for Joao Felix with FIVE more players set to follow

Chelsea’s attempts to offload their unwanted players have been boosted by the news that Joao Felix is on his way to Saudi Arabia. Felix is one of a number of flops that Enzo Maresca is desperate to shift in the summer transfer window and he has now agreed a move to Al-Nassr.

Chelsea paid £45million to sign Felix from Atletico Madrid on deadline day last summer and then compounded their mistake by handing him a seven-year contract. He was only signed to help facilitate the move of Conor Gallagher in the other direction after a transfer for Atleti striker Samu Omorodion fell through.

Not wanted by Maresca, Felix was loaned out to AC Milan for the second half of last season, where he continued to underwhelm. Chelsea had tried to flog him back to his boyhood club Benfica, but their reluctance to agree to the asking price of £35m has seen Al-Nassr swoop in.

The Saudi Arabian side, who have loaned Jhon Duran out to Fenerbahce but still have Cristiano Ronaldo and Sadio Mane, have agreed to pay Chelsea an initial fee of £26m, which could rise to £43.7m with add-ons. That is nothing compared to the £113m Atletico Madrid paid Benfica for Felix six years ago, but still a good result for Chelsea, who are working on deals for Xavi Simons and Jorrel Hato.

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The Blues have been doing relatively well in terms of player sales this summer, having offloaded Noni Madueke in a £52m deal to Arsenal and Djordje Petrovic to Bournemouth for £25m. But there remain many other players who are on the transfer list.

Nicolas Jackson is in a different position to the others, having attracted interest from Manchester United and others. The Senegal international has been pushed down the pecking order following the arrivals of Joao Pedro and Liam Delap, but isn’t unwanted by Maresca.

Meanwhile, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Renato Veiga, Raheem Sterling and Ben Chilwell are all expected to leave. Maresca does not like working with a bloated squad and has green lighted their departures.

Dewsbury-Hall is wanted by Fulham, but an agreement is yet to be reached because they are pushing for a loan deal, while the Blues would prefer a straight transfer for the midfielder, who joined for £30m from Leicester last summer.

Veiga is heading to Atletico Madrid after spending the second half of last season on loan with Juventus. Chelsea are holding out for £35m for the versatile player they signed for £11.7m from Basel last summer, but Atleti value him at £25m.

Things are quieter for Sterling and Chilwell, who were on loan with Arsenal and Crystal Palace last summer respectively. Both are high-earners at Stamford Bridge and are therefore important players to offload, with profit and sustainability rules a constant battle.

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