Report: Atletico Madrid Set to Land Joao Felix as Antoine Griezmann's Replacement
Benfica forward Joao Felix is set to be announced as an Atletico Madrid player on Wednesday, after negotiating a five-year deal for the prodigy during Tuesday's negotiations.
The 19-year-old Portuguese starlet will replace outgoing striker Antoine Griezmann, who, as Atletico Madrid CEO Gil Marin confirmed last week, is set to join Barcelona this summer after revealing his desire to leave the Wanda Metropolitano.
According to AS, Los Rojiblancos will complete the deal for Felix before Griezmann departs, after agreeing a five-year contract with the player on Tuesday, following a negotiation period that began at the Metropolitano on June 1, the day of the Champions League final.
And, while a few more details still need to be ironed out - such as the total fee, with Benfica still pressing for the full €120m required to trigger his release clause and Diego Simeone's side attempting to go a notch lower - the move is expected to be officially announced on Wednesday.
Indeed, should the fee prove to be the only remaining stumbling block, it is understood that the Spanish side are not beyond paying the full sum to get their man, with Benfica resigned to losing the player.
And, just as Felix will replace Griezmann, Real Madrid midfield Marcos Llorente is edging closer to replacing the Manchester City-bound Rodri, with a deal for the 24-year-old ideally completed on Wednesday as well.
Again, Real are pushing for a fee of around €50m, with Atletico haggling for something considerably cheaper.
Speaking on this evident rebuild, particularly in regards to Felix, Diego Simeone declared: “He is one of the options. Historically, Atlético Madrid buy players to develop them, like Oblak, Giménez, Griezmann … We want a talented guy who can absorb our ideas.
"There are a lot of guys leaving and it's a difficult time of transition for the team. But we have a challenge. Top people are leaving, but the goal is to continue competing. The rebuild already started last year, but it is true that it is one of the most difficult projects since I arrived.”
