Exclusive: Talks begin for Chelsea star to seal surprise transfer back to former club | OneFootball

Chelsea forward Joao Felix has already begun talks over an emotional return to his former club Benfica for this summer, CaughtOffside understands.

The Portugal international could somewhat surprisingly be on his way out of Stamford Bridge after just one season, having joined from Atletico Madrid less than a year ago.

Felix has flopped at Chelsea and the first half of the season went so badly for him that he was quickly shipped out on loan to AC Milan.

Things haven’t got much better for Felix during his time at the San Siro, so it seems he won’t be staying there beyond his loan spell.

Benfica are keen to re-sign Felix, and it seems he’s now also discussing the prospect of returning to the club where he started his career.

Is it over for Joao Felix at the very highest level?

Joao Felix in action for AC Milan (Photo by Alessandro Sabattini/Getty Images)

Felix burst onto the scene as a real wonderkid at Benfica a few years ago, but his career at the top level now looks to be in some doubt.

The 25-year-old looked like an exciting signing when he first joined Chelsea, but it seems to have become clear very quickly that he’s not cut out for this level.

CaughtOffside understands that Saudi Pro League clubs are also interested in Felix, so this very much points towards him making a significant step down in his career.

Few would have imagined that a big name like Felix would be heading to Portugal or Saudi Arabia at the age of 25, but it now seems unlikely that anyone in leagues like England, Italy or Spain will want him.

Chelsea will likely ask for around €35-40m to let Felix go, CaughtOffside understands, and it will be interesting to see if anyone is willing to gamble with that kind of money on such an out-of-form player.