Chelsea is on the verge of signing Joao Felix from Atletico Madrid after indicating to the Spanish club they will pay the required £ 10 million loan fee.

The 23-year-old is now expected to move to west London with the Blues also agreeing to cover his full £270,000-a-week salary for six months, which would cost £6m.

It is not clear if Chelsea has agreed on an option to buy the Portugal international, who is valued at around £88m.

The west Londoners had been working closely with Felix’s agent, Jorge Mendes, on a club-record deal to sign Enzo Fernandez from Benfica before it collapsed.

That deal fell through but Felix’s desire to move to a ‘Big Six’ Premier League club in January is now expected to be fulfilled after falling out with Atleti manager Diego Simeone.

Source:standard.co.uk