Manchester City are willing to work a creative deal with Benfica to land Joao Felix.
City are battling Manchester United and Atletico Madrid for the 19-year-old international.
And Atletico believe they have taken a huge step towards sealing a deal by giving Felix assurances he will get regular first-team football if he moves to Spain.
The Mirror says Pep Guardiola's plans for the next campaign do not include adding another forward to his City squad.
And they are hoping their willingness to allow Felix to remain with Benfica for another 12 months will give them the edge in negotiations.
City do not want to pay the £105m release clause in Felix's contract for potential and the loan-back deal they propose would enable them to negotiate a better price.