Barcelona and Atletico Madrid could complete swap deal involving Antoine Griezmann this summer - Reports

Atletico Madrid are willing to purchase Antoine Griezmann permanently from Barcelona this summer, according to El Nacional. The Frenchman made a sensational return to Madrid last summer following an unsuccessful spell in Catalonia.

However, he'd only signed on a season-long loan and has struggled to recapture the mojo that made Griezmann a star during his first spell at the club. In 16 league appearances, the 30-year-old has struck only thrice, while making two assists before being sidelined by a muscle injury in mid-December.

Griezmann is yet to return to the first-team, having missed all their games in 2022 so far, but the Rojiblancos still want to extend his stay by exercising their buyout option.

This will see the side pay €50 million to Barcelona but Atletico are exploring a way to avoid paying such a huge sum.

Atletico ready to sell Joao Felix to Barcelona in a swap deal

There are rumors of a possible swap deal involving Griezmann. Saul Niguez was the first name to come up but the Spaniard ended up joining Chelsea instead, while Yannick Carrasco wasn't let go by Atletico manager Diego Simone.

Now, reports suggest the reigning Spanish champions are willing to offer Joao Felix to their rivals in exchange for signing Griezmann permanently. The Portuguese forward, who signed for a club-record fee of €126 million from Benfica in 2019, has struggled for regular game time this season.

He missed the opening few games of their league campaign through injury before serving a two-game ban for a red card. The 22-year-old then sustained a muscle injury in November before contracting COVID-19 that caused him to miss a few more games.

All this has derailed his playing time on the pitch, restricting Felix to just 14 top-flight appearances. This has sparked exit rumors, with many suggesting that it's a good time to move on and resurrect his otherwise promising career as he's never been a regular for the club.

As aforesaid, Felix is still only 22, and has enough time to return to his best, while he might as well do so in a new environment. Simeone is said to be open to letting the player go if it saves his team the Griezmann payment and could soon start negotiating with Barca president Joan Laporta. Meanwhile, Blaugrana boss Xavi reportedly sees Felix taking on an important role at Barcelona.