Barcelona and Atletico Madrid are reportedly discussing the possibility of a swap deal involving forwards Antoine Griezmann and Alvaro Morata.
According to Spanish publication MARCA, Barcelona and Atletico Madrid are considering entering a possible swap arrangement for their forwards Antoine Griezmann and Alvaro Morata.
Griezmann is currently on loan at Atletico Madrid, having returned to the Wanda Metropolitano on the deadline day of the last summer window. The Frenchman signed on a one-year loan deal with an option to extend it by another year, with the Rojiblancos having an obligation to purchase the 31-year-old after two years for a predetermined fee.
The 2018 FIFA World Cup winner has not had the best of seasons at Atletico Madrid, bagging just eight goals in 37 matches across all competitions. Despite his subpar returns, Atletico Madrid intend to keep him at the club but want to reduce the transfer fee for his services.
They are exploring the possibility of sending Alvaro Morata to Barcelona as part of a swap deal. The Spanish striker is currently on loan at Juventus, who have an option of making his transfer permanent for a sum of €35 million. However, the Italians are yet to provide any indication that they want to trigger that option, leaving Morata’s future up in the air.
?? @rsalmurri | Atletico Madrid are trying to reduce the €40M purchase option of Griezmann by offering Alvaro Morata to FC Barcelona. #FCB pic.twitter.com/6IzQIrZL4r
— Barça Xtra (@XtraBarcaa) May 13, 2022
The former Real Madrid forward is unlikely to have a place in Diego Simeone’s side next season and they are now willing to offer him to Barcelona in exchange for the permanent transfer of Griezmann.
Barcelona are in the market for a new No. 9 and have been pushing to sign Robert Lewandowski from Bayern Munich. However, they are keeping an eye out on other possible options, with Morata being one such alternative. The 29-year-old Spaniard had been on the Catalan giants’ radars during the January window, but they ended up signing Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang instead.
Barcelona sporting director Mateu Alemany met with Atletico Madrid CEO Miguel Angel Gil Marin on Thursday night in Madrid, which has sparked the speculations of the swap deal involving Griezmann and Morata.
However, Alemany has denied discussing the French forward’s future during the meeting. “We didn’t discuss about Antoine Griezmann. His name was not part of our conversation,” he said, as quoted by Fabrizio Romano.
