Chelsea
have completed the signing of Joao Felix from Atletico Madrid in a deal
worth £46.3m, while Conor Gallagher has moved in the opposite direction for
£36m.
The Blues have paid a £42m fixed fee for Felix, plus £4.3m in add-ons, while
the Portugal international has signed a seven-year contract at Stamford
Bridge.
The 24-year-old returns to Chelsea on a permanent deal having spent six
months on loan during the second half of the 2022/23 season, scoring four
goals in 16 Premier League appearances.
Felix spent last season on loan at Barcelona where he scored 10 goals in 44
appearances.
Felix said: "I'm really happy to be back at Chelsea and I can't wait to get
started. I can see some familiar faces from the last time I was here, which
is always nice.
"I loved my time here before and I told my friends and family that I'd love
to return to the Premier League one day. To do that with Chelsea is a great
feeling and I'm excited to be back."
Speaking in a press conference, Maresca added: "He's a good player and the
club already knows him from two years ago. The good thing about Joao is he
can play different positions with us - inside, as a No 9 and outside."
The ex-Benfica player becomes Chelsea's 10th summer signing following the
arrivals of Tosin Adarabioyo, Omari Kellyman, Marc Guiu, Kiernan
Dewsbury-Hall, Renato Veiga, Caleb Wiley, Aaron Anselmino, Filip Jorgensen
and Pedro Neto.
Felix's arrival also takes Chelsea's spending to £202.6m making them the
Premier League's top spenders this summer.
The west London club's spending, however, may not be over yet as it is
understood they will try to sign a new striker during this window following
the completion of the Felix deal.
Napoli's Victor Osimhen has been a target all summer, but at the moment
Chelsea would not sign him on a permanent deal.
Gallagher moves in opposite direction in
£36m deal
The signing of Felix unlocked Gallagher's transfer to Atletico Madrid, which
was confirmed on Wednesday morning.
Gallagher's transfer looked to have fallen through following the collapse of
Chelsea's move for Atletico striker Samu Omorodion, but the deal was revived
after the Blues agreed to sign Felix.
Atletico remained determined to sign Gallagher, having been impressed by him
during his five-day stay in Madrid and how he handled the situation, which
only reinforced their desire to have him in their squad.
The England international passed a medical and agreed a five-year deal to
join Atletico while in Madrid, and had been pictured in the Wanda
Metropolitano by the club, before having to return.
But the 24-year-old is now officially an Atletico player after signing a
deal at the club until 2029.
In a video message on Instagram, Gallagher said: "To everyone at Chelsea,
thank you for making my dreams come true.
"It's been an absolute honour every time I put on the shirt, and it was a
dream come true to captain the team on many occasions. I loved every moment.
These memories will last forever.
"I appreciate all the love and support from the fans. Hearing the chant of
my name at the Bridge is a special feeling, and the banner you displayed
meant the world to me. Thank you for everything.
"I wish the club all the best for the future, and I hope to see you all soon
at Stamford Bridge!"
Maresca said of his departing midfielder: "It's not only for Chelsea. Many
clubs are selling players from their academies. It's very sad.
"In Italy we had Totti and he played with Roma for 20 years. We all loved
that. But now the rules are a bit different and sometimes you need to sell
your academy players for 100 per cent profit.
"We need to try to respect the rules."
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