Barcelona ready to offer star defender to Atletico Madrid in deal for Joao Felix: Reports
Barcelona are reportedly ready to include Inigo Martinez in a player-plus-cash deal to permanently snap up Atletico Madrid loanee Joao Felix in the upcoming summer transfer window.
Since joining on a season-long loan deal, Felix has impressed with his fine outings for Xavi Hernandez's side. The 24-year-old has scored nine goals and provided six assists in 35 overall appearances this season.
Hence, according to Fichajes.net, Barcelona's top brass are interested in roping in the Portuguese forward on a permanent basis this summer. They are keen to offer Martinez, who arrived on a free transfer past summer, to Atletico Madrid as part of a potential deal.
Martinez, who has a deal until June 2025 at the Blaugrana, is allegedly interested in staying at Barcelona. The 32-year-old defender has made 19 appearances this campaign, starting 12 of them in the process.
Atletico Madrid, on the other hand, are believed to be keen to part ways with Felix in the future. As a result, they could be open to accepting a potential deal involving Martinez ahead of the upcoming campaign.
Should the Barcelona centre-back join Diego Simeone's side, he would emerge as a fine rotational option for them. He would offer competition to Stefan Savic, Mario Hermoso, Jose Gimenez, and Axel Witsel.
Fabrizio Romano shares positive update on Barcelona star's future amid reports of sale
Speaking on Caught Offside's Daily Briefing podcast, acclaimed journalist Fabrizio Romano stated that Frenkie de Jong is delighted to be at the Blaugrana. He said:
"Despite the new rumors that have been in the news this week which suggest that Barcelona are considering selling Frenkie de Jong, I'm not aware of this honestly. Frenkie has said many times in public that he's very happy at Barça."
Suggesting that the Dutchman is unlikely to depart, Romano added:
"And [club president Joan] Laporta even said just a couple of days ago that Frenkie is a crucial part of the club's project. So, at the moment, the situation between the parties is understood to be very calm."
De Jong, whose current contract is set to expire in June 2026, was allegedly close to joining Manchester United in the summer of 2022. But, the 26-year-old chose to stay and helped his team lift the La Liga title and the Supercopa de Espana trophy in the 2022-23 season.
Since arriving from Ajax for around €86 million in 2019, De Jong has played in 210 matches across all competitions for the Catalan outfit. He has scored 17 goals and laid out 21 assists for his current club so far.