Newcastle United’s £90m transfer target responds to image of him in black and white shirt

Chelsea loan star Joao Felix seems unlikely to remain at Stamford Bridge next season after he failed to shine during his half-season spell with the Blues.

The Portuguese star moved to West London midway through the January transfer window and made an immediate impression of the wrong kind when he was shown a red card on his debut in a 2-1 defeat at local rivals Fulham. After returning from a three-match suspension, Felix went on to score four goals in 14 appearances prior to Sunday’s season-ending home clash with Newcastle United.

It seems inevitiable he will return to parent club Atletico Madrid this summer and there speculation over his relationship with manager Diego Simeone has led to talk of a permanent move away from the La Liga giants over the coming months. Felix opened up on the former Argentina international’s future in an interview with Spanish outlet AS earlier this season, saying: “Every year they talk about him leaving, but he never leaves. So I no longer believe anything that is said. If it stays, very well; if he leaves, a lot of happiness for him, that everything goes very well for him. Only in June we will know what is going to happen.”

There has been speculation Newcastle could offer Felix a second chance at succeeding in the Premier League after the Magpies secured a place in next season’s Champions League last week, with Portuguese outlet Eleven Sports suggesting he could make a £90m move to Tyneside in an Instagram post. It seeems highly unlikely United would be willing to part with such a significant fee on the forward and Felix’s reaction to the post also suggests he is not so sure on the move too.

In response to an edited image of him in a Newcastle shirt, he replied: “É só sabichões! [It’s just know-it-alls]”