Chelsea have completed the signing of Portugal forward Joao Felix from Atletico Madrid for a fee in the region of £45 million, while Conor Gallagher has moved in the opposite direction for approximately £33 million.
Felix, 24, returns to Stamford Bridge on a seven-year contract after a successful loan spell in 2023, during which he scored four goals in 20 appearances.
The Portuguese international expressed his excitement about rejoining the Blues, saying, “I’m really happy to be back at Chelsea and I can’t wait to get started. I can see some familiar faces from the last time I was here, which is always nice.”
Meanwhile, Gallagher, who joined Chelsea’s academy at the age of six, has signed a five-year contract with Atletico Madrid. The 23-year-old made 90 appearances for the Blues, scoring 10 goals, and had just one year remaining on his contract at Stamford Bridge. Chelsea opted to sell him now to avoid losing him on a free transfer next summer.
Gallagher took to Instagram to express his gratitude to the club and fans.
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“To everyone at Chelsea, thank you for making my dreams come true,” he wrote. “It’s been an absolute honour every time I put on the shirt, and it was a dream come true to captain the team on many occasions. I loved every moment. These memories will last forever. I appreciate all the love and support from the fans.”
Chelsea focused on transfer finalisation after Joao Felix capture
With 10 days remaining in the transfer window, Chelsea are expected to continue offloading players, with head coach Enzo Maresca already declaring Raheem Sterling and Ben Chilwell surplus to requirements.
Both players have been training separately from the first team and were left out of the squad for Chelsea’s Premier League opener against Manchester City. They are also not part of the squad for Thursday’s UEFA Europa Conference League match against Servette.
