Joao Felix has admitted he wants to return to his boyhood club Benfica to regain his form, but his wage demands and transfer fee may block a transfer.
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Joao Felix wishes for a call back to LisbonPortuguese forward unable to shine in recent spellsBenfica interested in bringing the forward homeFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?
Felix has struggled to live up to the hype since leaving Benfica in a big-money move to Atletico Madrid, which was followed by an unsuccessful loan spell at Barcelona. Chelsea then snapped him up, but he failed to get going in the Premier League and was loaned to AC Milan last season.
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Although he had a good start at San Siro, the Portugal international was inconsistent in the latter half of the season as he amassed three goals and one assist in 21 games for the Italian club. With his future unclear yet again, Felix now hopes to return to Benfica, but Chelsea's asking fee and the player's wages are out of the Portuguese club's budget.
WHAT JOAO FELIX SAID
Chelsea signed Felix for €52 million (£45m/$61) from Los Colchoneros on a seven-year contract. The club are willing to offload the player, and Benfica coach Bruno Lage has been open about the desire to bring him back, but was clear that he must make a compromise on his salary if he is to re-join the Eagles.
Felix has now spoken about his desire to move to Lisbon, saying: "The whole world knows that Benfica is my favourite team. It's my home. One day I will return. I don't know if it's now or in a few years, but if it were now I would be very happy. There are two options: either I stay in England or I return to Benfica."
GettyWHAT NEXT FOR FELIX?
Felix is not a part of Enzo Maresca's project at Chelsea, with the London club already assigning his shirt number to Dario Essugo, suggesting another summer transfer is on the cards.
