Club President Shatters Chelsea's Plans to Offload Joao Felix

Benfica's chief Rui Costa has firmly dismissed any chance of bringing João Félix back from Chelsea during this transfer window.

Chelsea's desire to move Félix elsewhere is well-documented. Following a disappointing loan spell at Barcelona in the 2023-24 campaign, the Portuguese star completed a £45 million ($60.9 million) transfer to the London club, signing an extensive seven-year contract.

While Félix managed to score in his first game back in the Premier League, his subsequent performances failed to impress. With only three league starts and seven goals across all tournaments, the 25-year-old was loaned to AC Milan midway through the season, where he similarly struggled to establish himself.

After learning that Milan had no intention of securing Félix permanently, Chelsea had hoped his former club Benfica might be interested in acquiring him. However, Costa indicated that such a reunion appears financially unfeasible.

"I face this question every season," Costa remarked. "Of course we'd love to welcome back academy graduates with João's quality and prominence, and all Benfica supporters would appreciate that too.

"But we must consider two important factors. These players aren't available for free—they have substantial contracts with their current clubs and command significant transfer fees. The financial requirements, both for transfers and salaries, are extremely high, and we must acknowledge those realities."

Benfica initially seemed an ideal landing spot for Félix; the forward developed through their youth system and featured in 42 matches for their senior squad before his 2019 move to Atlético Madrid. Nevertheless, the Portuguese club apparently lacks the financial resources to pursue negotiations with Chelsea.

"Benfica desires all top-tier players. João is certainly exceptional," Costa stated. "But there's a vast gap between that desire and actually bringing João back—I can't offer much more insight than that. There's simply no realistic scenario where I can envision this transfer becoming possible."

Félix's career path remains clouded in uncertainty. Though still contracted to Chelsea, he was excluded from Enzo Maresca's FIFA Club World Cup roster, and his number 14 jersey has been reassigned to newcomer Dário Essugo.