Milan had to settle for Joao Félix after Ferran Torres' "no"

The AC Milan management had no choice but to 'settle' for the last-minute signing of Joao Félix. The Portuguese was, along with Mexican Santiago Giménez, the major addition to the 'rossoneri' team to strengthen a weakened attack after Álvaro Morata's departure. However, the player from Viseu was not the first option for Sérgio Conceição's side, as the team's priority was to secure the services of Ferran Torres.

The 'Shark' was strongly considered to arrive at San Siro, but both the forward and FC Barcelona rejected negotiating a simple loan. Hansi Flick counts 100% on the Valencian, and the club was only willing to let him go if a good offer for a permanent transfer was received that had the 'ok' from the '7'. However, none of these scenarios came close to happening, so the player from Foiões will continue wearing the blue and garnet jersey. So far, Ferran has 7 goals and 3 assists in 24 matches (848 minutes).

Milan took advantage of Chelsea's desperation for Joao Félix

Ultimately, the 'consolation prize' for Milan at the close of the winter market was Joao Félix. The Italians finalized the simple loan of the Portuguese international for six months in exchange for 5.5 million euros, in addition to covering a percentage of the attacking midfielder's salary. The 25-year-old player did not leave bad numbers in his second stint at Chelsea (7 goals and 2 assists in 20 appearances), but he was not part of coach Enzo Maresca's plans for the rest of the season.

For Joao, Milan will be his fourth team in just two years, after two forgettable semesters at Stamford Bridge and a rather dull season with Barcelona. Atlético de Madrid managed to get rid of him last summer for 52 'kilos', and looking ahead to next summer, Chelsea hopes to do the same, as long as the Portuguese manages to convince the 'rossoneri' to bet on him long-term. The market value of the player from Viseu remains at 30M€, after reaching a peak of 100M€ in the summer of 2019.