Chelsea Transfer News Roundup: Blues announce Joao Felix loan move; club suffer blow in Enzo Fernandez pursuit, and more - January 11, 2023
Chelsea are looking to bolster their squad this month after falling behind in the Premier League. Graham Potter's wards are tenth in the league after 17 games.
Meanwhile, the Blues have suffered a blow in their pursuit of Enzo Fernandez. Elsewhere, journalist Julian Laurens reckons the London giants have got it wrong with their loan move for Joao Felix.
On that note, here's a look at the key Chelsea transfer stories as on January 11, 2023:
Chelsea announce Joao Felix loan move
Chelsea have announced the arrival of Joao Felix on loan from Atletico Madrid for the rest of the season.
The London giants were in hot pursuit of the Portuguese recently, seeing off competition from Manchester United and Arsenal to secure his signature. Graham Potter’s team have suffered in front of goals in the last few games, so the 23-year-old’s arrival is a huge boost for the manager.
Blue is the colour! 🔵 https://t.co/qIf0pSu0Cb
Speaking to the club’s website, Felix said that he's excited to play at Stamford Bridge.
“Chelsea are one of the great teams in the world, and I hope to help the team reach their objectives, so I am very, very happy to be here and very excited to play at Stamford Bridge,” said Felix.
Felix has appeared 20 times across competitions for Los Rojiblancos this season, scoring five goals and registering three assists.
Blues suffer blow in Enzo Fernandez pursuit
Chelsea have suffered a blow in their pursuit of Enzo Fernandez. The Blues are hot on the heels of the Argentinean midfielder, fresh from his exploits at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
The 21-year-old has been on a good run of form with Benfica as well, prompting interest from the Blues.
#transfers
Benfica coach Schmidt: “I can say that I expect Enzo Fernández to stay, so to have Enzo at the end of the market” 🚨🇦🇷 #transfers
“I never doubted Enzo, his attitude and personality. He's a great person, he's at Benfica, he loves playing for Benfica”. https://t.co/HCdrxuBs0l
However, speaking to Give Me Sport, journalist Ben Jacobs said that talks between the two clubs have hit a standstill at the moment.
"We’re in a position where, for now, Benfica are back to saying it’s the release clause or nothing. Chelsea will not trigger the release clause. When a club says that, they can be genuine, which means the deal is off, or they can be saying that to try and bait the buyer into increasing their offer and getting somewhere closer to that," said Jacobs.
He added:
"It’s one to watch in the sense that Chelsea love the player and wanted to move to try and beat their rivals to his signature. But for now, there are no talks between the parties. It’s off at the time of recording."
Fernandez has registered three goals and five assists in 25 games across competitions for Benfica this season.
Chelsea accelerate interest in Denzel Dumfries
Chelsea have stepped up their efforts to bring Denzel Dumfries to Stamford Bridge, according to La Gazzetta dello Sport via FC Inter News.
The Blues are in the market for a new right-back to provide competition for Reece James and have the Dutchman on their radar. The 26-year-old has been impressive for Inter Milan this season, registering two goals and three assists in 23 games.
Inter would like to keep Denzel Dumfries until the summer but would consider selling him for the same price, €60million, if #Chelsea wanted him in January.
(@Gazzetta_it)
Dumfries also caught the eye at the 2022 FIFA World Cup and is now being courted by the Blues. Manchester United are also interested in the Dutchman, who will cost €60 million.
The Nerazzurri would ideally like to offload the player in the summer, but a move in January could also materialise if their valuation is met. Chelsea have suffered due to James' injury woes this season and could be tempted to bring Dumfries to Stamford Bridge this month.