Atlético Madrid captain believes João Félix will be back with them from Chelsea next season

João Félix has made a pretty good impression at Chelsea thus far — despite his debut red card and his propensity for finding the woodwork rather than the back of the net — but his future beyond this season looks to be far from settled.

Initial expectation may have been that he would not want to go back to Atlético Madrid, having fallen out with head coach Diego Simeone, but the team’s captain, Koke believes otherwise. He expects João to return and return with the confidence gained by his minutes in a Chelsea shirt.

“[João Félix and Matheus Cunha] were important players within the team. They made the decision to leave [in January]. João left temporarily and Cunha transferred. They are decisions of each one. Totally respectable.

“João is picking up the rhythm of the games, he is gaining confidence for the coming season to come back here. To Cunha, I wish him all the best.”

-Koke; source: Mundo Deportivo

Chelsea do not have a buy-option in Félix’s loan contract, and earlier rumors pegged a potential summer deal at around €70m. With Christopher Nkunku supposedly already set to join for a slightly larger amount, João’s time with us may be brief indeed.