West Ham are among the teams lining up a move for Chelsea forward Joao Felix, according to reports.

The Portuguese international, who was once described as the “next Ronaldo” earlier in his career, is set to leave Stamford Bridge after just one season.

Felix was only signed on a permanent basis from Atletico Madrid for £45m last summer but he lasted just six months before he was loaned out to AC Milan.

Things haven’t gone much better for him in Italy. Despite the Rossoneri shelling out a £5m loan fee and paying over half his wages, the 25-year-old has not started a game for nearly a month, having scored just 1 goal and provided 1 assist in 14 appearances.

Felix has been told to seek a new club

TBRFootball claim that the forward’s representatives have been given permission to talk to other teams by Chelsea ahead of a permanent exit.

That has sparked interest from the Hammers, in addition to Wolves, Serie A side Como and Felix’s former team Benfica (who sold him for €120m to Atletico in 2019). There are also believed to be interest from Saudi Arabia and Turkey.

West Ham can afford the forward

One big question about the club’s interest in Felix is whether they could take on his salary. However, Capology‘s information suggests that he is earning around £134,000 a week at Chelsea/Milan.

That means he could potentially fit into the Irons’ wage structure. The transfer fee is not expected to be onerous either, considering Chelsea are so keen to offload him.

Of course, Felix’s performances this season are concerning. The fact that he has flattered to deceive whilst on loan in Italy doesn’t bode well so it would be a big gamble if a switch to the London Stadium is sanctioned.

Click here to see West Ham’s first team squad for the 2024/25 season