The genius Chelsea swap deal which could supercharge battle for Champions League return

Italian heavyweights AC Milan are believed to be considering a blockbuster move for Chelsea forward Joao Felix - just months after his summer move to Stamford Bridge from Atletico Madrid.

Felix arrived in West London to great fanfare despite an underwhelming loan spell with the club at the end of the 2022/23 season where he showed both glimpses of quality, but also a huge lack of consistency.

The Portuguese international first joined Chelsea at a time when they were at their lowest, he worked under three different managers in Graham Potter, Bruno Saltar (for one game) and briefly club icon Frank Lampard - but none of them could get a team bloated with numbers firing on all cylinders despite their huge wage bill.

In truth, many of Chelsea’s problems were largely down to chaos behind the scenes - an issue that hasn’t fully resolved itself - but at least now current boss Enzo Maresca seems to have something much closer to a settled first XI - one which Felix has been unable to break into.

Felix started life at Chelsea in dream fashion with a goal off the bench in a 6-2 demolition of Wolves. However, since then he’s been limited to just ten further league appearances and three starts, with almost all of his first team minutes coming in the Europa League.

Félix debuted professionally at age 16 for Benfica and before long established himself as a regular for Portugal and a star performer for a club that produced the likes of Eusebio, Joao Cancelo, Ruben Dias, Bernardo Silva and Ederson. The 25-year-old proved throughout his time in Portugal that he was a player with a really high ceiling and there to witness this firsthand was Benfica’s main rivals FC Porto, managed by the time by current Milan boss Sergio Conceicao, who recently replaced fellow countrymen Paulo Fonseca in the San Siro dugout.

CalcioMercato report that Milan have identified Felix as a player that can transform the Rossoneri team, who are in desperate need of flair and creativity after scoring just 29 times in 21 matches.

The outlet claims Conceicao is a long-term admirer of Felix and adds that he sees him as someone that can transform the team’s fortunes if given regular football. Felix signed a seven-year contract when arriving at Chelsea, but has so far been unable to get anywhere near first-choice starter Cole Palmer, who has consistently proven himself as the team’s standout talent in both of his first two seasons.

The intriguing swap deal Chelsea could look to strike with AC Milan

Chelsea are a team that score plenty of goals but still lack great quality in defensive areas whereas Milan are a team blessed with strength at the back but a real lack of flair in the final third, with Rafael Leao struggling to hit his previous standards.

This could lead Chelsea to consider a move for 36-time France international left-back Theo Hernandez.

Hernandez has long been considered one of the very best left-backs in world football and has been included in the Serie A Team of the Season in four of the last five years. At 27-years-of-age he is at the peak of his powers, is blessed with exceptional pace, defensive awareness, leadership and an incredible goal-scoring quality for a defender.

He is an exceptional talent that has lifted the Champions League with Real Madrid, lifted Serie A with AC Milan and guided his country to a World Cup final. Hernandez is a fan favourite at the San Siro and recently became the club’s all-time leading scorer for a defender with 30 strikes - notably surpassing a record held by club icon Paulo Maldini.

However, his contract is up for expiry in 2026, amid reports he is seeking a new challenge and as it stands AC Milan unlike Chelsea are not on course to achieve a European finish.

Given Felix’s lack of form, Hernandez’s contract situation at AC Milan and Chelsea’s lack of defensive organisation a potential swap deal with some fee included could be the best resolution for both parties moving forward.