It looked for a while as if Chelsea were going to seriously regret letting Joao Felix leave the club on loan at the end of the January transfer window.
Felix scored on his AC Milan debut, and all the noise from the Serie A club was that they were delighted to have added him to their squad.
It was claimed that the Italians were keen on bringing him in on a permanent deal when the summer transfer window comes around, and Felix was keen on a move too after a rough first six months back at Stamford Bridge.
However, as time has gone on, the Portugal international has come in for brutal criticism as a result of his performances. Felix was described as ‘a ghost’ by Italian media after one underwhelming display.
Milan’s most recent game saw the attacker named on the bench, with Chelsea legend Pedro scoring the winner in added time to compile more misery on Milan.
Despite the promising start, it looks as if Milan will not be looking to make Felix’s move there a permanent one.
Fabrizio Romano has claimed that while the finances wouldn’t be an issue, the club have not been impressed enough with his performances since joining for them to spend big money on him at the end of the season.
He said: “We remember what Zlatan Ibrahimovic said at the beginning of February, but many things are about to change at Milan.
“The feeling internally at the club is that it is going to be really complicated to continue with Joao Felix. Not financially, it’s because in the first 40 days for Joao Felix at Milan, the situation has been really complicated for many players, not just Felix, but the situation has not been what they all expected.
“To go there and negotiate with Chelsea is now not what they are planning to do.”
Chelsea have one last trick up their sleeve if they were looking to sell Felix to Milan when the summer transfer window comes around.
The Blues have a long-standing interest in signing Rafael Leao, however up until now the Serie A side have been reluctant to let him leave.
In 2025 though, Leao is not untouchable at Milan, and Chelsea could present a strong offer to take him off their hands.
This could include a swap deal that would Felix go the other way, however it would depend on the direction the new directors at Milan wish to take their side, and if that involves the Chelsea loanee.
