Chelsea transfers: Blues to target striker after Joao Felix signing but open to Raheem Sterling offers

Chelsea’s busy summer shows no signs of slowing down, with the Blues hoping to sign a striker alongside the arrival of Joao Felix.

The Portugal forward has completed a medical and is set to rejoin Chelsea from Atletico Madrid for a fee of up to £46.3m.

Felix spent the second half of the 2022/23 season on loan in west London, scoring four goals in 20 appearances.

The 24-year-old will sign a six-year deal with the option for a further year, with his arrival helping to allow Conor Gallagher to finally complete his move to Atletico.

The LaLiga side agreed a £36m deal for the midfielder but the move stalled when Chelsea’s signing of Atletico forward Samu Omorodion fell through earlier this month.

Gallagher – who had less than 12 months remaining on his Chelsea contact after turning down a new two-year deal – committed to Atletico until 2029 and completed his move on Wednesday.

Felix will have plenty of competition at Stamford Bridge, joining a squad including Cole Palmer, Enzo Fernandez, Christopher Nkunku, Mykhailo Mudryk, Noni Madueke, Nicolas Jackson, Pedro Neto, Omari Kellyman and Marc Guiu.

Chelsea also still have Raheem Sterling, Romelu Lukaku, Armando Broja, Carney Chukwuemeka, Cesare Casadei, Angelo Gabriel, Deivid Washington and David Fofana, but several of those players could move on before the August 30 deadline.

Sterling featured for Chelsea in pre-season but was left out of the squad for their Premier League opener on Sunday, which ended in defeat to his former club, Manchester City.

Before the match had even kicked off, Sterling’s representatives released a statement asking for “clarity” over the winger’s future – a move that Jamie Carragher called “ridiculous”.