‘I Look Forward’—Joao Felix Points the Way to Chelsea Escape Route | OneFootball

In the world of come-and-get-me pleas, João Félix delivered one of the more blatant appeals, explaining in detail precisely why Benfica should whisk him away from Chelsea this summer.

Less than a year earlier, Félix had just completed a permanent move worth around £45 million ($61.3 million) to return to Stamford Bridge. “I feel very happy to be back at Chelsea,” he grinned after marking his second debut with a goal, “this really does feel like my home actually.”

The honeymoon period lasted barely six months as Félix was swiftly shipped out to AC Milan on loan for the second half of the 2024–25 campaign. After a bright start at San Siro, the Serie A side opted against permanently acquiring the Portuguese forward, who skulked back to Chelsea to find himself left out of the Club World Cup squad without a shirt number.

When quizzed on his next destination, Félix left little room for ambiguity. “Benfica is my home,” he told CMTV. “One day I will return. I don’t know if it will be now or in a few years. If it is now, I will be happy.”

The Portuguese giants are coached by Bruno Lage, the manager who oversaw Félix’s prolific burst of form for Benfica in 2019 which convinced Atlético Madrid to splash more than €127 million (£109.8 million, $149.8 million) that summer.

João Félix (right) scored 17 goals in 29 appearances under Bruno Lage at Benfica. / IMAGO/Pixsell

“Bruno Lage being the coach, who I know and who was important for my career, adds to my decision and I look forward to returning to Benfica,” Félix continued. “And that is perhaps where I am most inclined. I feel that I need to be at home and that is why Benfica is one of the ideas I have in mind.”

However, Lage didn’t sound quite so keen on the idea himself. When rumours of Félix’s homecoming plan first surfaced in June, the Benfica boss warned: “There have to be two desires: the desire and the financial aspect.

“There is desire, and we believe there is desire on both sides. We must also look at the financial aspect: what business and how much we can invest in João, and on João’s part, he has to understand that Benfica cannot afford the salary. This must be clear.”

Félix is thought to earn a weekly wage in the region of £65,000 ($89,000) at Chelsea. While that is reported to be one of the more modest salaries in west London, such a sum would theoretically make him the second-highest paid player at Benfica.