Chelsea have five players Atletico Madrid might accept for Joao Felix

Graham Potter on Chelsea's draw to West Ham United

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Joao Felix has made an eye-catching start to his Chelsea loan spell with a man-of-the-match performance against West Ham following up his debut red card against Fulham. Graham Potter may look to make his move permanent over the summer if he continues to perform like he did against the Irons however there is no option to buy written into his contract.

Chelsea may need to monitor their spending during the summer transfer window with the spectre of financial fairplay regulations looming large. As a result, they may try to include one of their current players in order to bring Felix’s price down with Atletico hoping to recruit much of their initial £113million outlay on the player. Here Express Sport takes a look at who they could be, with five players potentially on the market.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang

The Gabon captain would perhaps make the most sense after falling out of favour under Potter and appears to have no future at Stamford Bridge. He was linked with Atletico Madrid during the transfer window but the move would not have been possible after already featuring for two clubs this season.

It could be one that the La Liga side revisit in the summer however and both Chelsea and Atletico could benefit. However, any swap could hinge on other teams with MLS side LAFC hoping to bring him in this month.

Romelu Lukaku

Lukaku is even further away from the first-team picture at Chelsea having spent the season on loan Inter Milan. It is unclear whether the Italian giants will look to make the move permanent in the summer given his price tag while he has failed to build up any momentum after suffering from injuries. He could return to London.

Atletico boss Diego Simeone tends to like having a target man up front and Lukaku would fit the bill. The Blues paid £97.5m for his services just 18 months ago and he will help bring Felix’s price down substantially if he holds just half of that value.

Mateo Kovacic

Kovacic has been a regular for Chelsea this season but may find his game time reduced when he returns from injury after the arrival of Enzo Fernandez. Reports have suggested that the west Londoners would be open to allowing him to depart in the summer and he could be perfect for Atletico.

The Croatian is already familiar with Madrid after spending four years with Real and his tireless work ethic would make him the perfect fit for a Simeone side.

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Hakim Ziyech

Ziyech looked set to depart Chelsea in January but his move to PSG fell through in the final moments of deadline day following a technical error. He is likely to finally be on the move in summer with so much competition in the wide positions.

Should PSG decide against reviving their interest he could be an option for Atletico helping bring more creativity to the side.

Kalidou Koulibaly

Benoit Badiashile has taken the Senegal captain’s place in the starting line up and it appears unlikely that he will win it back any time soon. Reports suggest that Potter would be willing to let him leave in the summer just 12 months after his arrival.

While he may not be as exciting as some of the attacking options Koulibaly’s experience would be a huge asset within Simeone’s backline especially if he can find his top form again.

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