Filipe Luís, the Brazil full-back, will leave Chelsea and return to Atlético Madrid after a fee believed to be in the region of £16m was agreed between the clubs.
José Mourinho was happy to allow the 29-year-old to leave despite Filipe Luís signing for the Premier League champions only over a year ago.
The only stipulation for Mourinho was to recoup the money paid to the La Liga side in the first place. Mourinho was initially unsure if Atlético could match the sale price and steadfastly refused any option to strike a loan agreement.
Filipe Luís’s departure, having made just 15 appearances last season, is no surprise and means Mourinho will mount a firm push for the services of the highly-rated Augsburg wing-back Abdul Baba Rahman, who is valued at around £17m.
The Ghana international, 21, who is left-sided will be a like-for-like replacement and is consistent with Mourinho’s transfer directive this summer of only replacing players who have left the club.
Radamel Falcao has replaced Didier Drogba while Asmir Begovic arrived from Stoke to cover for Petr Cech following his move to Arsenal.
