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Chelsea forward Joao Felix has joined AC Milan on loan for the remainder of the season, six months after moving to Stamford Bridge from Atletico Madrid.
It has been an underwhelming second spell in west London for the Portugal international, who since his £46million move in August has largely been limited to substitute appearances in the Premier League, with six of his nine starts coming in cup competitions.
The deal with the Serie A side includes a £5m loan fee and does not come with an obligation to buy.
Head coach Enzo Maresca has repeatedly said chances for the former Barcelona player have been restricted by Cole Palmer, who has started all 24 league games this season in the number 10 position, Felix’s preferred role.
He has scored seven goals since rejoining the club for whom he played on loan in the second half of the 2022-23 season.
Of those only one has come in the league, the sixth goal in Chelsea’s 6-2 victory away against Wolves on his first appearance back.
He scored four times in the Conference League, helping the team progress to the last 16 in first place, while he also netted twice in the FA Cup third round against Morecambe in January.
Despite arriving to great fanfare following a successful loan spell at Barcelona, the 25-year-old has not settled, with his inconsistent performances when picked reminiscent of his troubled first spell at the club.
That the majority of his starts have come in Maresca’s second-string cup selections has long pointed to a possible exit, which has now been confirmed.
A club statement said: “Chelsea forward Joao Felix will spend the remainder of the season on loan at Serie A side AC Milan.
“Joao will now spend the remainder of the 2024-25 campaign at San Siro and we look forward to supporting him during his loan spell.”
He becomes the fifth former Chelsea player in head coach Sergio Conceicao’s squad alongside Tammy Abraham, Fikayo Tomori, Christian Pulisic and Ruben Loftus-Cheek.
