Joao Felix: Chelsea close to signing Atletico Madrid forward on loan

Chelsea is close to signing Atletico Madrid forward Joao Felix on loan for the rest of the season.

The 23-year-old played for Portugal at the World Cup and scored one goal in five outings at the tournament.

Felix has attracted interest from Arsenal and Manchester United but is understood to favour a move to Chelsea.

Atletico made Felix the fifth most expensive player in history when they paid Benfica £113m for the then 19-year-old in 2019.

Although he has impressed at times, Felix has not reached the heights expected on a consistent basis.

Blues owner Todd Boehly is keen to bolster manager Graham Potter's injury-hit squad, who have slipped to 10th in the Premier League and were hammered 4-0 by Manchester City in the FA Cup on Sunday.

Felix has played for Atletico twice since going out at the quarter-final stage of the of the World Cup.

He scored in a 2-0 win against Elche on 29 December before playing 73 minutes in a 1-0 defeat by Barcelona on Sunday.

Felix has scored five goals and provided three assists for Atletico in 20 outings this season.