Chelsea attacker Joao Felix - currently on loan at AC Milan - could apparently still be offered an escape route out of Stamford Bridge by Aston Villa this summer.
The former Atletico Madrid and Benfica starlet was said to have been on the radar of the Lions in January, but Unai Emery's side lost out to the Rossoneri in their pursuit of the 25-year-old.
Felix is struggling to make a name for himself at San Siro, though, only managing one goal and one assist from his first 10 games in all competitions for Sergio Conceicao's outfit.
The Portugal international has also failed to score in his first seven Serie A appearances for Milan, who do not have an option or obligation to make his stay permanent at the end of the campaign.
As a result, Felix will be heading back to Stamford Bridge when the campaign is done and dusted, and the 25-year-old is still contracted to Enzo Maresca's side for another six seasons.
Chelsea 'open' to permanent Felix sale this summer
© Imago
However, the Blues are expected to give the green light to Felix's permanent exit for the right price this summer, and according to TEAMtalk, Aston Villa retain an interest in the attacker.
Despite Felix's struggles to adapt to Premier League football, Lions boss Emery is supposedly still willing to take a punt on him, but the Villans will need to jump through a few hoops to pull off a deal.
The 25-year-old's wages could be an issue, as he is being paid £67,100 a week at AC Milan according to Capology, and Villa are still yet to decide on the futures of Marco Asensio and Marcus Rashford.
The West Midlands side can sign Manchester United-owned Rashford for £40m this summer, and while they do not have such an option for Asensio, Paris Saint-Germain would apparently be willing to offload him for just £12.5m.
Felix has managed a total of 11 goals and two assists in 40 appearances for Chelsea across two separate spells, having initially joined on loan from Atletico for the 2022-23 season.
Could Felix still be a Chelsea player next season?
© Imago
While Chelsea are believed to be desperate to cut Felix from the ranks at the earliest opportunity, the Blues supposedly have no intention of accepting a cut-price fee for the Portugal international.
Having paid £46.3m to bring him back to West London last year, Chelsea supposedly want as much - if not more - to sell him in 2025, and they do not want to make any loss on him whatsoever.
As a result, the report adds that Chelsea may consider sending him out on loan once again for the 2025-26 season, before then trying to find a buyer at the end of the next campaign.
Milan could still try for a permanent deal once his loan spell ends, but the Italian giants are reportedly unlikely to go down that road given Felix's underwhelming form and their collective struggles.
Conceicao's side are out of the Champions League and sit in a measly ninth place in the Serie A table, meaning that they will likely be unable to afford Felix if they cannot qualify for European competition for 2025-26.
Ben Knapton
