Joao Felix’s turbulent Chelsea journey took another twist in January as reports reveal Barcelona rejected the chance to re-sign the Portuguese forward, opting instead to chase Manchester United’s Marcus Rashford.

Chelsea wasted no time offloading Felix less than six months after splashing £45 million to secure his services from Atletico Madrid. Despite impressing during his initial loan spell at Stamford Bridge in 2023, Felix struggled to cement a place in Enzo Maresca’s squad this season, especially with Cole Palmer emerging as the Blues’ standout performer. Felix managed just three Premier League starts, prompting him to push for a January exit.

The 27-year-old eventually completed a deadline-day loan move to AC Milan, where he got off to a promising start, scoring on his debut in the Coppa Italia quarter-final against Roma. However, according to Spanish outlet Sport, Felix had his sights set on a return to Barcelona, where he previously enjoyed a loan spell after his first stint with Chelsea.

But in a dramatic twist, Barça chiefs Joan Laporta and Deco flat-out rejected the chance to bring Felix back, turning their attention to an unexpected target—Marcus Rashford. The England international, who found himself at odds with new Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim, was reportedly on Barcelona’s radar as they sought to bolster their attack.

However, a lack of outgoing transfers at the Nou Camp thwarted their efforts to land Rashford, who ultimately sealed a surprise loan move to Aston Villa under Unai Emery for the remainder of the season.