Chelsea sign Joao Felix from Atletico Madrid for £45m as Gallagher leaves

Chelsea have signed Portugal forward Joao Felix from Atletico Madrid for a fee in the region of £45m, with England midfielder Conor Gallagher going the other way for about £33m.

Felix, 24, who has signed a seven-year deal to begin a second spell at Stamford Bridge, scored four goals in 20 appearances during a loan spell in west London in 2023.

"I’m really happy to be back at Chelsea and I can’t wait to get started," said Felix. "I can see some familiar faces from the last time I was here, which is always nice."

Gallagher meanwhile has signed a five-year contract with the Spanish top-flight club.

Gallagher joined Chelsea at the age of six and went on to make 90 appearances, scoring 10 goals.

He had entered the final year of his contract at Stamford Bridge so Chelsea wanted to sell now to avoid losing him on a free transfer next summer.

"To everyone at Chelsea, thank you for making my dreams come true," Gallagher wrote on Instagram. "It's been an absolute honour every time I put on the shirt, and it was a dream come true to captain the team on many occasions.

"I loved every moment. These memories will last forever. I appreciate all the love and support from the fans."

The collapse of Chelsea's talks to sign Atletico striker Samu Omorodion had delayed Gallagher's move to Spain, but the Felix deal frees up the required funds for Atletico to complete the transfer.

Gallagher spent five days in a hotel in Madrid earlier this month expecting a deal before flying back to London when the move stalled.

Gallagher had loan spells at Charlton, Swansea, West Brom and Crystal Palace before breaking into the Chelsea first team at the start of the 2022-23 season.

He has won 18 England caps since making his debut in 2021 and was part of the Three Lions squads for the 2022 World Cup and Euro 2024.