Atletico Madrid have rejected a proposed swap deal from Barcelona that would see Antoine Griezmann return to the club with Joao Felix going to the Camp Nou.
The details are outlined in a report from Marca, which makes the Madrid daily’s front page on Friday, claiming that Atleti rejected the offer from the Blaugrana of re-signing Griezmann a year after he departed.
As outlined by the report, the Madrid-based club paid €126m for Portuguese star Felix from Benfica a year ago as Griezmann departed for the Catalan giants, who triggered his €120m release clause.
However, with Barcelona now beset by a mammoth wage bill – which the report claims takes up 81 percent of their entire operating budget – and an ageing squad, they have now had a change of heart.
Both players were named in Marca’s Most Disappointing La Liga team of the season last month, due to each failing to match the expectations of their big-money moves.
Griezmann, 29, has struggled for consistent form during the campaign but has netted 15 goals in 48 appearances – with his prominence increased due to long-term injuries for both Ousmane Dembele and Luis Suarez.