“It took just 5 minutes” - Zlatan Ibrahimovic opens up on deadline day move to sign Joao Felix from Chelsea 

AC Milan senior advisor Zlatan Ibrahimovic has opened up on how easy it was to seal a deal with Chelsea for Joao Felix. The Portuguese forward joined AC Milan for the remainder of the season during the recently concluded winter transfer market.

Ibrahimovic disclosed that it took the club just five minutes to get Felix from the Premier League side. He added that manager Sergio Conceicao wanted the 25-year-old at the club.

"It took just 5 minutes to get João Félix loan deal done with Chelsea. Conceição wanted João, we spoke and we decided to trust him for our project. It’s been a very fast negotiation," Ibrahimovic said (via Fabrizio Romano on X).

Joao Felix joined the Blues last summer from Atletico Madrid for a reported €50 million plus add-ons, signing a seven-year deal. The signing marked the Portuguese's second stint with the Premier League side. He had previously spent the second half of the 2022-23 campaign on loan at Stamford Bridge.

Felix, however, struggled to get regular playing time under Enzo Maresca's setup this season. He managed just three starts from 12 league games, with the manager deploying him more in the UEFA Europa Conference League and domestic cup competitions.

The Portuguese has kicked off his AC Milan stint on a perfect note, scoring off the bench on his debut against AS Roma in the Italian Cup. He also featured in the side's 2-0 league win over Empoli on February 8, playing for 84 minutes.

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"I don't think we will miss him" - Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca on Joao Felix

Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca claimed that his side does not regret sending Joao Felix on loan amid their struggles in attack. The Blues allowed the Portuguese star to join AC Milan until the end of the season, despite not making a reinforcement to their attack.

After their 2-1 loss to Brighton & Hive Albion in the FA Cup fourth round on Saturday, Maresca said that his side don't miss Felix. He said (via Daily Mirror):

"I don't think we miss João. He's happy there [Milan] and we're happy that he's happy. Two injuries on the last day of the transfer window. It's a tough one. Nico [Jackson] could be back soon. Sometimes I think we need to play a few games without certain players to realise their importance."

Before his loan move to AC Milan, Felix recorded seven goals and two assists in 20 matches across competitions for Chelsea.