Chelsea's Felix close to joining AC Milan on loan

Joao Felix has made 20 appearances for Chelsea this season

Chelsea midfielder Joao Felix is close to completing a six-month loan move to Serie A club AC Milan.

If the deal goes through, the Blues will get a £5m loan fee, while there would be no obligation for Milan to buy the player in the summer.

Felix, a 25-year-old Portugal international, has only started three Premier League matches this season, though regularly features in cup competitions.

He has scored seven goals in 2024-25 - one in the 6-2 league win over Wolves in August, and two goals apiece in Conference League matches against Panathinaikos and Noah, and a double against League Two Morecambe in the FA Cup.

Felix began his career at Benfica and moved for £113m to Atletico Madrid in July 2019, a deal which at the time was the fifth-most expensive transfer in history.

He had spells on loan at Chelsea and Barcelona before he moved to the Blues in a £45m permanent deal in August.

Chelsea are sixth in the Premier League, but will move up to fourth if they win at home against West Ham on Monday (20:00 GMT).

Milan, eighth in Serie A, play Roma in the quarter-finals of the Coppa Italia on Wednesday and have a two-legged play-off against Feyenoord in the Champions League this month.

'Man for the small occasions' - analysis

The writing was on the wall for Joao Felix when he barely celebrated his two goals against Morecambe in the FA Cup third round in early January.

The Portugal international has been 'the man for the small occasions' at Chelsea, the Telegraph match report said.

It highlights how Felix mostly only starts against lesser opposition in the FA Cup, Carabao Cup and Conference League under manager Enzo Maresca.

The main reason he has struggled for minutes is Cole Palmer's presence as a number 10, while the fact Christopher Nkunku is not joining Manchester United or Bayern Munich is another reason to send him out on loan.

It's a strange situation given the attacker once cost £113m when signed by Atletico Madrid in 2018, and was given a seven-year deal by Chelsea just last summer.

Having previously been on loan Chelsea and Barcelona while he was an Atletico player, he is looking at his third temporary home as he tries realise the potential he showed when first breaking through at Benfica.