Joao Felix says he “pushed hard” to join AC Milan on loan from Chelsea and revealed he would like to stay with the Serie A giants past this summer.
The Portugal international secured a switch to Milan on transfer deadline day and came off the bench to score against Roma on hus debut in the Coppa Italia before making his first Serie A start against Empoli.
Felix only joined Chelsea from Atletico Madrid last summer but had been struggling for game time under Enzo Maresca, starting only three times in the Premier League.
And having already felt the love from supporters since heading to Italy, the 25-year-old said he is already keen to make his move permanent.
Felix said at his official unveiling: “For now, I’m on loan until June. Let’s see how it goes. At the moment, I’m really enjoying everything: the club, the people, the facilities.
“I’ve been welcomed very well. The most important thing is to be where I feel good, and I feel good here.
“Then, in football, things can change, but if there’s a possibility to stay at Milan, I would like that.”
“I pushed hard to come here. I want to give my all for this club,” the Portuguese added.
“I already knew [Sergio] Conceicao. His passion is contagious. And winning is essential.
“Kaka has always been my idol. I saw myself in him and tried to imitate him.”
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Felix debut goal
A CLASSE DE JOÃO FÉLIX ✨⚽️🇵🇹#MilanRoma #CoppaItaliaFrecciarossapic.twitter.com/92mSZ4L773
— Lega Serie A (@SerieA_BR) February 6, 2025
On his positive start to life at Milan, Felix added: “We’ve had two victories. I had the opportunity to play at San Siro and score for Milan.
“I knew about the greatness of this club, Milan are huge. From the outside, you can see it’s a very big club, and when you’re inside, you realise you’re in one of the biggest clubs in Europe.
“I already knew the coach, I had played against him, and I followed him.
“I told him what I expected: to play in my role. He never told me if I would play a lot or a little, but to play in my role. That’s what convinced me to come to Milan.”
Maresca: We don’t miss Felix
Chelsea boss Maresca appears unlikely to stand in Felix’s way if he does wish to leave Stamford Bridge permanently, with the Italian suggesting they have enough quality in the squad.
He said: “I don’t think we miss Joao. Joao is happy there and we are happy Joao is happy there.
“We had two striker injuries on deadline day, it is something difficult to think. Nico [Jackson] can be back very soon.
“Sometimes I think you need to play some games without players to realise how important they are. Off the ball, his [Jackson] pressing is always very good and on the ball he is a threat always.”
