Report: Joao Felix ‘asks to leave’ Chelsea amid Aston Villa transfer interest | OneFootball

Joao Felix is looking to leave Chelsea as he is frustrated over his lack of playing time, according to Duncan Castles.

The reporter said via The Transfers Podcast that the Portugal international is looking for pastures new, with a switch away from Stamford Bridge on the cards.

The 25-year-old made a permanent move to Chelsea from Atletico Madrid last summer for an initial €52 million, having previously spent the second half of the 2022/23 campaign on loan at the club. However, things haven’t gone as planned this season at Stamford Bridge, with head coach Enzo Maresca preferring other attacking options.

And Castles has claimed that Villa are certainly an option for him. “Last summer on The Transfers Podcast, we told you that Unai Emery had long been an admirer of Felix and wanted to bring him to Villa,” Castles said via FootballTransfers.

“It may be that we see the Aston Villa strike force turning into one of Watkins and Joao Felix as the alternative centre-forward or Felix playing alongside him for the rest of the season.”

Aston Villa and AC Milan linked to Felix

Joao Felix is looking for the exit (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)

Felix has started only three Premier League matches and made a total of 12 appearances in the competition, failing to find the net since Chelsea’s second game of the season, which came against Wolverhampton Wanderers in August.

While his league minutes have been limited, Felix has been more involved in cup competitions, scoring four goals in three Europa Conference League starts, being one part of the club’s “B-Team.” He has also featured in domestic cup ties against lower-league sides like Barrow in the EFL Cup and Morecambe in the FA Cup.

The report goes on to say that Felix has been offered to AC Milan, though the Italian club remains undecided and is also considering Feyenoord striker Santiago Gimenez, who has been in red-hot form in the Champions League, where he netted against both Manchester City and Bayern Munich.

Meanwhile, Aston Villa could emerge as a potential destination. With Jhon Duran set for a move to Al-Nassr and Arsenal making efforts to sign Ollie Watkins, Villa may turn to Felix to reinforce their attacking options.