Benfica president Rui Costa says he would be keen to sign Joao Felix from Chelsea but admits the Portuguese club are unable to finance a move.
Felix returned to Chelsea in a £46.3 million deal from Atletico Madrid last August but the 25-year-old struggled secure a regular role under Enzo Maresca and ended up joining AC Milan on loan in the January transfer window.
The Portugal international failed to recapture his form in Italy and AC Milan ended up deciding that they would not sign him on a permanent deal this summer.
Felix’s career at Chelsea now appears to be over after he was left out of their Club World Cup squad, while he has also been stripped of his No.14 shirt, which has been given to new £18m signing Geovany Quenda.
Felix made his professional debut for Benfica’s reserve side in 2016 and played just one full season in the first team before his £113m move to Atletico Madrid three years later.
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Benfica continue to be linked with re-signing Felix but Rui Costa says the Portuguese club are a ‘long way’ from that deal due to the forward’s transfer fee and salary with Chelsea.
‘Every year I get asked this question. If we could bring back players from our academy, who have the quality and prominence that a player like Joao has, we would all like that, all Benfica fans would like that,’ Rui Costa said on Friday after Benfica arrived in the United States ahead of their Club World Cup campaign.
‘We have to understand two things. The players are not free, they have very high contracts with the clubs and very high transfer fees.
‘The amounts involved, both in transfers and salaries, are very high and we have to respect that part.
‘Benfica wants all the great players. Joao is an excellent player. It is a long way from there until we bring Joao back, I can’t say much more than that.
‘There is no way I can come close to thinking that it is possible.
‘For signings, we will have our targets referenced. We want to build a Benfica -style team, but the focus is the Club World Cup, which has to be a great source of pride.’
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