At least one Chelsea player could give Enzo Maresca a bit of a headache going into the 2025/26 season.
Last summer, Maresca did not have room for the likes of Raheem Sterling, Ben Chilwell and Trevoh Chalobah in his Chelsea squad.
It saw Chelsea loan Sterling and Chalobah to Arsenal and Crystal Palace respectively, though the latter has now returned. Chilwell has since headed in the opposite direction to the central defender, and the club will want him gone for good when the transfer window opens again.
The Blues will also probably want to sell Joao Felix, who is currently on loan at AC Milan, but that will not be easy.
Photo by Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images
Photo by Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images
Chelsea and Enzo Maresca face being stuck with Joao Felix
Cole Palmer is Chelsea’s first-choice No.10, while Christopher Nkunku can also play there. As a result, Maresca was not able to give Felix too many opportunities in the first half of the season.
Joining Milan during the January transfer window, the 25-year-old is clearly a player Maresca is not desperate to keep hold of.
However, after his difficult loan spell, the Italian could be stuck with him this summer. As things stand, Milan have no intention of buying Felix when the transfer market reopens.
It means Maresca could be left with an unhappy forward who is on big wages at the club.
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Another outfit could register an interest in signing him permanently, but he will likely need an upturn in form between now and the end of the season in order for that to happen.
Felix was described as a “ghost” by the Italian media after one game, really epitomising how this loan spell is going for him.
Photo by Gabriele Maricchiolo/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Photo by Gabriele Maricchiolo/NurPhoto via Getty Images
AC Milan’s rivals could help Chelsea out
While Felix looks unlikely to join Sergio Conceicao’s side permanently, he could still end up staying in Milan.
Last month, it was claimed that Inter Milan could make an offer for Felix in the next transfer window.
Again, Chelsea may want to do a permanent deal, but it is hard to imagine Inter paying the kind of money the Blues are likely to demand for their player, a player who has done very little this term.
The Portuguese has scored just once for Milan since arriving, while most of his goals for Chelsea came in the Conference League and FA Cup. Felix made little impact in the Premier League, though his opportunities were limited, of course.
Whatever the case, costing his parent club £45m, Felix has been a flop at Stamford Bridge. And if Chelsea are not careful this summer, then they could be stuck with an expensive asset who cannot get into the manager’s team.