Joao Felix stripped of Atletico Madrid No.7 shirt after Chelsea loan as Antoine Griezmann reclaims favoured jersey

The Portugal international forward was snapped up by La Liga giants Atleti for €126 million (£108m/$137m) back in 2019. He has, however, struggled to make the desired impact in the Spanish capital and was allowed to spend the second-half of the 2022-23 campaign on loan at Stamford Bridge – where he managed four goals in 20 appearances. Felix’s future in Madrid remains unclear, and he will need to find a new squad number if he is to stay at Wanda Metropolitano after seeing his shirt handed to World Cup winner Griezmann.

 Griezmann wore the No.7 shirt at Atletico during his first stint with the club and has recaptured that jersey after returning from a forgettable stint at Barcelona – with an initial loan agreement having been turned into a permanent transfer back in October 2022.

Chelsea are not expected to make a move for Felix, having already snapped up Christopher Nkunku and Nicolas Jackson this summer, with the 23-year-old saying of his plans shortly before the 2022-23 Premier League season came to a close: “I don’t know yet my future. It’s a top club. Everyone in the club was very good to me, my team-mates [have been] unbelievable. And I really like to be here.