Reports | Barcelona in talks with Atletico Madrid over Greizmann-Saul swap deal
According to ESPN, Barcelona and Atletico Madrid have opened talks over a swap deal involving Antoine Griezmann and Saul Niguez. Although Griezmann insists on seeing out his contract at Camp Nou until 2024, he would also be willing to return to Atletico if Barca no longer wants him.
Antoine Greizmann left Atletico Madrid for Barcelona in 2019. Joining for a fee of €120 million, the French champion has to leave the club this summer, with a potential swap deal with Atletico Madrid. After Messi, Griezmann was the biggest earner at the club last summer and his departure would create the most room on the wage bill. In order to free up the wage bill, With Laliga imposing a wage cap, Barcelona has to free up their wage bill by offloading some players in order to accommodate new signings.
Losing Griezmann's salary and replacing it with Saul's would help Barca reduce their outgoings, ESPN reports. However, with Barca valuing Griezmann higher than Saul, they want Atletico to pay an additional fee or include more players in the deal. Saul has been a long time target of Barcelona but with Atletico suggesting otherwise, much remains to be seen on the potential outcome.