Barcelona want Atletico to offer a forward, not midfielder in exchange for Memphis Depay

The tug-of-war between Barcelona and Atletico Madrid has started to become more complicated than ever.

Ever since Joao Felix’s departure to Chelsea, Atletico have been looking for a replacement and their search has taken them to Memphis Depay’s delicate situation.

Now, it’s known that Barcelona do want to offload the Duchman for Financial FairPlay reasons, but that does not mean they do not want anything in return, especially since Xavi has asked for reinforcement for the business end of the season.

According to Mundo Deportivo, the team from the capital city is willing to offer a certain Thomas Lemar in return, but Barcelona want someone who can fill the void that Depay would leave.

The reason why Atletico are so desperate to offload Lemar is the fact that his contract expires at the end of the season and so far, Atletico have not proposed any sort of extension.

At Barcelona, however, the demands are pretty much straightforward. If they are trading a forward/winger, they would want someone of the same profile and as MD quotes, their eyes are set on Yannick Carrasco, although this operation is more complicated.

This is because the Belgian’s contract runs until 2024 and if Barcelona are to enter any kind of negotiation, they would have to pay some kind of transfer fee. The team from Catalonia is of the idea that Carrasco would be an ideal cover.

On top of everything, the fact that he can also act as a full-back is a major plus given the current set of expectations. 

Furthermore, although the situation isn’t suitable for Atletico, the fact that Carrasco is represented by Pini Zahavi works in Barcelona’s favour because the agent shares a great working relationship with club president Joan Laporta.

At the moment, Barcelona are not ruling out Lemar’s option as well because they are looking at him as a capable replacement for Frankie Kessie, who is also expected to leave at the end of the season.