Barcelona won’t pay €19m for Yannick Carrasco transfer despite Atletico Madrid refusing to budge on price tag

• Deal agreed back in January
• Belgian due to move this summer
• Further discussions expected

WHAT HAPPENED? The Liga giants agreed a deal with domestic rivals for the versatile Belgium international in January when allowing Dutch forward Memphis Depay to leave Camp Nou for Wanda Metropolitano. The expectation was that a move would be pushed through in the next transfer window.

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THE BIGGER PICTURE: Barca are, however, reluctant to meet Atletico’s demands, with Marca claiming that the Rojiblancos are refusing to drop their asking price. The Madrid-based outfit expect their demands to be met in full, despite those in Catalunya enduring well-documented financial struggles.

AND WHAT'S MORE: More negotiations are expected, with Barcelona eager to point out that Carrasco is approaching the final year of his contract. They were prepared to pay more for the 29-year-old in the winter window, but feel his asking should be dropping alongside the length of his current deal.

IN TWO PHOTOS:

WHAT NEXT? Carrasco returned to Atletico for a second spell in 2020, when he headed back to Europe from an adventure in China. He has taken in 115 appearances for Diego Simeone’s side – helping them to La Liga title glory in 2021 to go with the Europa League triumph he enjoyed during a previous stint in the Spanish capital.