Chelsea have reportedly left Atletico Madrid 'very upset' with their conduct regarding a deal involving Samu Omorodion.
The two clubs have become embroiled in somewhat of a transfer triangle which has also involved Chelsea midfielder Conor Gallagher and Manchester City forward Julian Alvarez.
All three deals need to go through in order to satisfy Atletico and Chelsea's wishes, the Spanish outfit first needing to finalise a deal for Alvarez for a fee in the region of £82m.
Gallagher would then move to Atletico with Omorodion supposed to make the switch to Chelsea in a separate deal for a similar amount of money, said to be in the region of £34m.
However, on Sunday night, it emerged that the Omorodion transfer had been taken off the table due to an issue with the contract that he would pen at Stamford Bridge.
As a result, negotiations are now ongoing regarding a possible deal for Joao Felix, who could leave Atletico to reunite with Chelsea after his spell there during 2022-23.
Tension 'very high' between Atletico, Chelsea
Reports have indicated that there is a high priority being placed on Felix finalising a switch to West London with neither Atletico or Chelsea wanting the Gallagher transfer to break down.
Nevertheless, as per Relevo, the respective clubs currently hold a strained relationship over the saga that has developed with Omorodion.
The outlet says that the 20-year-old did not pass the medical that he underwent over the weekend, resulting in Chelsea wishing to change the terms of his contract.
Atletico believe that Chelsea have shown them 'a lack of respect' and feel that their Premier League counterparts should have stuck to the original agreement.
An issue could now arise with the valuation of Felix, the assumption being that Atletico will want to recoup more for the Portugal international than the £34m that they would have generated through Omorodion.
Reports elsewhere have indicated that Felix is interested in sealing a move to Chelsea, it now left to the clubs to negotiate terms that suit everyone.
What now?
With Alvarez and Gallagher both in Madrid ready to be confirmed as Atletico players, the pressure is growing on Atletico and Chelsea to resolve their issues.
Both clubs stand to benefit if they can get the Felix deal over the line, yet it remains to be seen whether they will be able to do business in the future.
Although Felix does not possess the profile of a forward that Chelsea were keen to sign, his return will be regarded as a positive development providing that room can be made for his arrival in the squad.
Raheem Sterling is said to be of interest from Juventus, the suggestion being that Chelsea are open to parting ways with the England international. body check tags ::
