Joao Felix: Zlatan Ibrahimovic gives verdict on permanent transfer for Chelsea loanee | OneFootball

Zlatan Ibrahimovic has confirmed that AC Milan are open to keeping Joao Felix on a permanent deal once his loan from Chelsea expires at the end of the season.

Felix re-signed with Chelsea in an ill-judged £45m transfer last summer, having previously spent the first half of 2023 on loan at Stamford Bridge. But he struggled for game time under Enzo Maresca, stuck in a back-up or rotation role, leading to a January exit.

There is no option to buy in the loan with Milan. Given the swollen size of Chelsea's investment, it was thought that a permanent deal for Felix would be out of the Serie A club's reach.

Whether their budget changes, or is perhaps inflated should Rafael Leao be sold amid interest from Barcelona, remains to be seen. But Ibrahimovic, who in effect serves as a sort of general manager at Milan, albeit seemingly without an official title after initially joining the hierarchy as an adviser, is firmly keeping the possibility on the table for the time being.

Milan are open to making the loan permanent / Marco Luzzani/GettyImages

"Yes, everything is possible," the Swede told Sky Sport Italy in regard to Felix. "Now we have to make him feel good to do well, he's playing well. This is just the beginning. We'll talk about it after the season."

Felix scored as a substitute on his Milan debut against Roma in the Coppa Italia at the start of February and has since started each of the club's last four fixtures.

If Milan cannot negotiate a deal with Chelsea in the summer, he will return to Stamford Bridge, where a route back into the team - as long as Maresca is still in charge - seems unlikely.

Barcelona were reported to have turned down the opportunity to re-sign Felix on loan due to their precarious mid-season finances and a lack of player departures. The player himself has also confirmed that he rejected Inter in order to sign with Milan instead.