Chelsea interested in keeping player described as “silky” by fans beyond this season

Chelsea are said to be interested in signing Joao Felix on a permanent deal next season after impressing whilst on loan with the Blues.

The club signed Felix on loan from Atletico Madrid in January as they searched for a creative, goalscoring attacker and while he has scored just twice in ten appearances, he has shown elite-level quality on the ball, proving himself to be one of Chelsea's more influential players in the final third.

Fabrizio Romano has reported the news of the Blues' intentions to keep Felix – who has been described as "silky" by sections of the fanbase – saying that the factors of the new coach and the pricetag will be very prevalent when it comes to the summer and deciding Felix's future at SW6.

Felix has been widely praised by Chelsea fans for his close control and ability on the ball

With Arsenal and Manchester United two other teams that were interested in the 23-year old before Chelsea signed him, the Stamford Bridge hierarchy will have to make a big decision whether they keep him on at the club to avoid their Premier League rivals potentially snapping him up.

Felix himself has previously stated his desire to remain at Chelsea, so it will be interesting to see whether he is still wearing a blue shirt come September 1st.