Barcelona have been linked with the move for the Atletico Madrid midfielder Saul Niguez this summer, and there have been reports of a potential swap deal involving Antoine Griezmann.
According to the latest reports, the Spanish giants have decided to pull the plug on the swap deal after determining that it is not a good move for them.
Barcelona were looking for some cash along with the Spanish midfielder in return for Griezmann, but the La Liga champions prefer a direct swap deal.
Barcelona are yet to pay off a figure of around €72 million for Griezmann’s signing, and they believe that a straight swap would be unfair.
Furthermore, the salary of the French international is also a problem for Atletico Madrid, who will not be able to afford him.
In addition to that, Saul is not ready to take a pay cut to join the Catalan giants either.
Barcelona are under financial pressure right now, and they are looking to sell the French international to reduce their wage bill.
The World Cup winner is one of the club’s top earners, and removing him from the squad this summer would undoubtedly help the Spanish club financially.
It will be interesting to see if Barcelona can find a way to offload the Frenchman before the transfer window shuts. The player has been linked with Premier League clubs like Manchester City in recent weeks as well.
