Chelsea have reached a verbal agreement to sign Joao Felix on loan from Atletico Madrid.
Reports say Chelsea will pay a loan fee of around £9m, which is well below the £13.25m Atletico initially wanted, and they will cover his wages for the rest of the season.
Felix has been linked with Manchester United and Arsenal but Chelsea’s project is reportedly appealing to him.
The Blues have acted swiftly to land Felix, who has made it clear that he wants to leave Atletico.
United reportedly balked at the loan fee being demanded by the Spanish giants and have since turned their attention to former Burnley striker Wout Weghorst.
Arsenal are also seeking reinforcements up front but were also put off by the price, and held talks with Atletico in a bid to lower it.
Chelsea are eager to revitalise their attack, with Graham Potter’s side having struggled in that department since he took over.
Felix, 23, has been inconsistent at Atletico this season. He has scored four goals and provided three assists in 14 LaLiga appearances.
In 2019 Felix joined Atletico from Benfica for £113million, which remains the fourth highest transfer fee in football history.
Chelsea have scored just three goals in their last eight games in all competitions and at times have used Kai Havertz up front, with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang out of favour.
Felix is expected to be the latest arrival at Stamford Bridge, with Chelsea having already announced the signings of Benoit Badiashile, who cost £58million from Monaco, David Datro Fofana and Andrey Santos so far this window.
