Joao Felix reveals which club he turned down to join AC Milan | OneFootball

Joao Felix has revealed he turned down an approach from reigning Serie A champions Inter in favour of joining AC Milan on loan from Chelsea.

The 25-year-old found himself surplus to requirements at Stamford Bridge mere months after returning to west London on a permanent seven-year contract.

Felix had previously spent time on loan at Chelsea before joining Barcelona on similar terms, and was convinced to return to the club after a fee of just over £45m was agreed with his then-permanent employers Atletico Madrid.

But Enzo Maresca largely preferred to use a combination of Jadon Sancho, Pedro Neto and Noni Madueke in the Premier League, reducing Felix to a bit-part player who was given the majority of his outings in Chelsea's Conference League group stage campaign – a competition the club are overwhelming favourites to win.

Milan swooped in on deadline day to take Felix to Italy, and the Portugal international waxed lyrical about the size of the club and his intention to agree a permanent switch at an unveiling press conference.

"I knew about the greatness of this club, Milan are huge," Felix told reporters. "From the outside, you can see it's a very big club, and when you're inside, you realise you're in one of the biggest clubs in Europe.

Enzo Maresca rarely turned to Felix in games of high importance / JUSTIN TALLIS/GettyImages

"I already knew the coach, I had played against him, and I followed him. I told him what I expected: to play in my role. He never told me if I would play a lot or a little, but to play in my role. That's what convinced me to come to Milan.

"For now, I'm on loan until June. Let's see how it goes. At the moment, I'm really enjoying everything: the club, the people, the facilities. I've been welcomed very well. The most important thing is to be where I feel good, and I feel good here.

"In football, things can change, but if there’s a possibility to stay at Milan, I would like that."

Felix admitted that Milan's neighbourhood rivals, Inter, had also shown interest in a deal, but having already started negotiations with the Rossoneri, he wasn't about to change his mind.

"Yes, my agent told me about it,” Felix revealed. "He said that Inter was interested. But I had already started talking to Milan, and I had already decided to come here. I said it would have been impossible, I had already made up my mind."

Felix is a product of Benfica's famed academy and debuted in the first team aged 18. After scoring 15 goals in his 26 Primeira Liga appearances, he was quickly snapped up by Atletico Madrid in a deal worth €126m (£113m) – the fourth highest transfer fee in history. He won La Liga in his second season at the club but ultimately struggled to justify the hefty price tag.