Atletico Madrid plans to use a £ 108m Antoine Griezmann sum to beat Man City to Joao Felix

Atletico Madrid is preparing a raid on Joao Felix, the admirable Benfica teenager, as he prepares to lose Antoine Griezmann to Barcelona.

Griezmann looks set to complete his € 108m transfer after five seasons at Atletico, and Barcelona is ready to pay the exorbitant fees of a player he has been wooing for a few years.

The director of Atletico, Diego Simeone, wishes to immediately spend the money that he has received for this transfer by facing Manchester City for Felix.

The Portuguese striker has been playing senior football for just a year, but he was so impressive in the Primeira Liga last season that many elite clubs have been linked to him this summer.

He scored 15 goals in 26 league games with Benfica, which helped him to win the title and beat FC Porto.

Felix also made his first appearance in the national team's senior squad this month, starting for Portugal in his 3-1 semi-final win against Switzerland.

Although Manchester United and Real Madrid showed interest, the Man City team was considered its most likely destination until Atletico entered the equation.

It is thought that the football promise of the first Simeone team could tempt Felix in the Spanish capital, which Man City's director, Pep Guardiola, could not immediately offer to the teenager.

Felix would have a release clause of 105 million pounds. After the sale of Griezmann, it should be affordable for Atletico.

Griezmann will certainly be a difficult man to replace at the Wanda Metropolitano. He was one of the key figures of the Simeone era and scored more than 15 goals in La Liga each season.

He has long argued that Barcelona would be a dream, however, and it seems that the transfer is virtually badured over the next few weeks.