Benfica are reportedly prepared to pay €30 million (£25.6 million) to sign Joao Felix from Premier League giants Chelsea.
Felix is admittedly looking forward to his return to Benfica, but the deal still has a major hurdle to overcome.
FIFA Club World Cup semi-finalists Chelsea have been busy this summer. The Blues have signed Liam Delap from Ipswich Town, Estevao from Palmeiras, Joao Pedro from Brighton & Hove Albion, and Jamie Gittens from Borussia Dortmund, among others.
According to the data from Transfermarkt, they have spent €243.7 million (£210.6 million) on summer arrivals so far. They may not be quite done yet, as they closely monitor Barcelona midfielder Marc Casado.
Chelsea need to sell some of their players to avoid breaching the Premier League’s PSR. And out-of-favour Felix is one of the players expected to make way.
Benfica Ready to Pay Over £25 Million for Chelsea Man Joao Felix, But Wage Structure Is an Issue
According to Portuguese outlet A-Bola, Joao Felix’s former club Benfica have emerged as the frontrunners to sign him from Chelsea. They are prepared to offer £25.6 million to bring the 25-year-old back to the club.
The Blues are likely to accept the offer from Benfica, as Felix’s underwhelming showings have caused his market value to plummet. However, his huge salary has become a hurdle in the transfer.
🚨 Benfica are willing to offer €30M to Chelsea for Joao Felix, but the player's salary remains the big problem, as they have a €4M/year as a salary ceiling.
(Source: @abolapt) pic.twitter.com/Or5gz3O3aY
— Transfer News Live (@DeadlineDayLive) July 6, 2025
As per Capology, Felix earned €8.17 million (£7.06 million) across Chelsea and AC Milan (loan) across the 2024/25 season. Benfica, meanwhile, have a strict budget cap of €4 million (£3.5 million) per season. So, Felix has to sacrifice half of his salary to make his transfer financially feasible for Benfica.
Joao Felix ‘Very Eager’ to Return to Benfica
Luckily for Benfica and Chelsea, Joao Felix seems determined to recapture the form that earned him a whopping €126 million (£108.9 million) deal to Atletico Madrid in 2019. Having learned the tricks of the trade in Benfica, Felix is admittedly keen on a return to the Estadio da Luz.
In an interview with CMTV, Felix discussed the prospect of a return to Benfica.
“I know the coach (Bruno Lage) and he was important for my career,” he said.
“That counts in my decision. Of course, I’m very eager to return to Benfica, and it’s probably where I feel most inclined to go.”
🚨🦅 João Félix opens doors to Benfica return: “Seeing Bruno Lage the coach, who I know and was important for my career, earns points in my decision over future and I see with good eyes returning to Benfica”.
“And it is, maybe, where I am most inclined…”, told Cm Jornal. pic.twitter.com/KOd9RyeyWu
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) July 6, 2025
Felix scored 20 goals and provided 11 assists in 43 games for Benfica in the 2018/19 season, which tempted Atletico to make the move. However, at Atletico, he failed to live up to expectations, scoring just 34 goals and claiming 18 assists in 131 games.
Felix first played for Chelsea in the second half of the 2022/23 season, joining on loan. Last summer, Chelsea bought him for £45 million after his fruitful loan spell with Barcelona. Across two spells, the Portugal international has played 40 games for the Pensioners, scoring 11 goals and providing 2 assists. Unconvinced, Enzo Maresca dropped him from Chelsea’s Club World Cup squad alongside Raheem Sterling.
