Chelsea face German side Bayer Leverkusen in their first pre-season friendly on August 8.
The Blues start their preparations for the upcoming campaign slightly later than most other clubs due to their extended involvement in the FIFA Club World Cup, which culminated in them defeating Paris Saint-Germain in the final on Sunday.
Enzo Maresca’s side will now hold the title of world champions for at least the next four years, until the next instalment of the competition takes place in 2029.
The West London outfit have been busy so far drying the current transfer window, with several players incoming and a number of players also expected to depart in the coming weeks.
In the meantime, it has emerged that one member of Maresca’s squad has rejected two offers already this summer.
According to CaughtOffside, forward Joao Felix has rejected offers from two separate clubs as he is intent on returning to boyhood side Benfica.
Felix has had two spells with Chelsea (Photo: Action Plus Sports Images/Alamy)
The report claims that the Portuguese, who is currently in his second spell at Stamford Bridge, has snubbed offers from both Portuguese giants Porto and Brazilian side Flamengo.
It is claimed that the forward is not part of Chelsea’s plans and is therefore likely to leave Stamford Bridge this summer.
Felix himself is said to be intent on a return to Benfica, where he started his senior career before departing to join Atletico Madrid for a fee of £113 million in July 2019.
The Portugal international first joined Chelsea on loan from Atletico in 2023, before a spell with Barcelona.
He returned to Stamford Bridge permanently last year, but struggled to establish himself within Maresca’s first choice line-up and was therefore sent on loan to AC Milan in January.
In total the forward has scored 11 times and provided two assists in 40 games across his two spells with the Blues.