Report: Barcelona, Atletico Madrid in talks over Griezmann-Felix swap deal

Barcelona and Atletico Madrid opened negotiations over a possible swap deal involving Antoine Griezmann and Joao Felix, sources told ESPN’s Sam Marsden and Moises Llorens.

Completing such a deal on transfer deadline day could prove difficult given the time constraints.

Barcelona failed in their attempt to sign Felix on loan Monday before returning with a new offer involving Griezmann, who enjoyed a successful five-year spell with the Madrid club before moving to the Catalan capital in 2019.

Barcelona spent €120 million to sign the French international but the club has shopped him around this summer. Earlier talks with Atletico broke down over a potential swap deal involving the French forward and midfielder Saul Niguez, Marsden and Llorens report. Atletico is reportedly willing to reopen talks about that swap.

The 30-year-old Griezmann, who scored 133 times in 257 appearances at Atletico, is believed to be open to the idea of returning to play under manager Diego Simeone.

Felix moved to Atletico from Benfica in 2019 as a replacement for Griezmann in a deal worth €126 million. The Portuguese international has 19 goals in 76 appearances.