Filipe Luis is reportedly poised to return to Atletico Madrid after just a year at Chelsea, with various reports linking him with a £15 million move back to his homeland.
After a tough debut season at Stamford Bridge, where Cesar Azpilicueta fought off his challenge for first-team action, Luis appears resigned to losing the battle for the regular left-back spot and wants a move back to the Spanish capital, where he spent five years prior to his journey west.
The Brazilian made just nine starts in 15 Premier League appearances for Chelsea last season and since his £16 million move from his former employers, he's not been able to establish himself as anything more than a bit-part player.
Newspapers are now reporting that a deal has been agreed between the two clubs, who share a special relationship that stems from Thibaut Courtois' three-year loan stint in Spain, and with the Blues said to be receiving around £11m for the 29-year-old, Luis' move back to Atletico Madrid seems imminent and could be confirmed within the coming days.
Luis was a fan favourite at the Vicente Calderon after joining from Deportivo la Coruna in 2010 and was a mainstay in Diego Simeone's team from 2011, where he linked up with current Chelsea team-mates Diego Costa, Thibaut Courtois and Radamel Falcao and made 127 appearances.
His only goal came for Chelsea came in the form of a sublime free-kick against Derby County in the Capital One Cup quarter-final and although Luis hardly put a foot wrong on the occasions that he played, his Spanish team-mate, Azpilicueta, was always a step ahead of him, making 29 appearances as Jose Mourinho's side won the Premier League by eight points.
Replacement lined up
Jose Mourinho is said to already have his eye on Luis' replacement, with the Londoners showing an interest in Augsburg left-back, Abdul Baba Rahman. The Ghanaian defender is reportedly valued at around £17 million by the Bundesliga side and in sticking with Financial Fair Play rules, Mourinho will use the money recouped from Filipe Luis to make an irresistible offer for the 21-year-old Rahman.
Rahman started his career in his homeland, Ghana, before moving to newly-promoted Bundesliga side Greuther Firth in 2012, where he featured 44 times, until Augsburg came knocking last summer. Having impressed big clubs all around Europe, his signature is being chased by agents aplenty this summer, though Chelsea look like the front-runners to land him.