Joao Felix moved to Chelsea from Atletico Madrid in August last year in a £46.3m deal.
However, under the reign of coach Enzo Maresca, the Portuguese international could not find a place and was soon loaned to AC Milan in January. In Serie A, Felix also played poorly and was sent back by Milan.
The 25-year-old striker's future at Chelsea has become uncertain as he was left out of the Club World Cup squad. The No. 14 shirt that Felix wore in the first leg last season was also given back to rookie Geovany Quenda.
At a press conference in the US before the Club World Cup, Benfica President - Mr. Rui Costa frankly shared his desire to re-sign Joao Felix's contract. The Portuguese club was the cradle and witnessed the most perfect version of the former Atletico Madrid star.
However, the difficulty is that Benfica cannot meet the current transfer fee and salary of Felix. Rui Costa shared: I receive this question every year. Of course, if they can bring back a player like Joao, that is what Benfica fans want.
We have to understand that players like Joao are no longer free agents. They have big contracts and very high salaries. The figures related to transfers and benefits are beyond Benfica's current financial capacity.
We always want to have great players like Joao. But at this time, the possibility of bringing Joao back is very low, I can't say anything more".
