Benfica ready €20m bid to buy half of Joao Felix as Portuguese attacker agrees to take pay cut to return to former team

According to O Jogo, Benfica have prioritised the signing of Felix, as they want him to reunite with his former boss Bruno Lage. The club are reportedly opting to acquire 50 per cent of his rights. Felix, who expressed his desire to return to his boyhood club, is also willing to take a pay cut to move back to Lisbon.

Benfica's financial condition does not allow them to go overboard with their spending. With the club's presidential election around the corner, there is a need to clinch the league title, a title they have failed to win in their last two campaigns. The Portuguese side plan to bring their former star forward back to replicate their successful 2018-19 season.

Felix was sold to Atletico Madrid in a club record sale, but failed to live up to the hype in La Liga and ended up being loaned to Chelsea and then Barcelona. The Blues soon bought him outright from Atletico, signing him to a contract that runs until 2031, but he again struggled and was loaned to AC Milan in February.

Benfica are also interested in signing Botafogo's Thiago Almada. The Argentine midfielder spent half of last season on loan at Lyon. The French club wants to retain him permanently, but with the club caught in a financial mess, the hopes have died down. Reportedly, Benfica and Botafogo are closing on a potential agreement.

Chelsea are open to offloading him but want closer to the €53 million (£46m/$62m) they paid Atletico for the 25-year-old forward. However, the Portuguese club believe they can reach a middle ground, as Chelsea will have to offload a few players for financial reasons.