Barcelona and Atletico Madrid agree on a swap deal involving Antoine Griezmann and Saul Niguez

Barcelona and Atletico Madrid agree on a swap deal involving Antoine Griezmann and Saul Niguez. Barca is under huge financial pressure and agreed on a new Messi deal.

Antoine Griezmann-Barcelona

Barcelona and Atletico Madrid have agreed to a high-profile swap deal involving Antoine Griezmann and Saul Niguez.

The Catalan giants are under immense financial pressure, and they will have to reduce their wage bill to register their new signings and afford a new contract for Lionel Messi.

Barcelona have signed the likes of Sergio AgueroMemphis Depay and Eric Garcia on free transfers, but they have not been able to register them because of their financial situation.

Meanwhile, Messi is also expected to sign a new five-year contract.

The departure of Antoine Griezmann will undoubtedly help in that regard. The Frenchman joined the Spanish giants for a fee of over £100 million in 2019, and he is believed to be on significant wages.

The attacker will now return to his former club Atletico Madrid, where he developed into a top-class player. 

Meanwhile, Saul has fallen down the pecking order at La Liga Champions Atletico Madrid, and the Spanish champions are keen on selling the player.

The midfielder clearly needs a fresh start, and a move to Barcelona could be ideal for him.

With the likes of Philippe Coutinho and Miralem Pjanic struggling to hold down a regular starting berth, Barcelona needed to bring in a central midfielder who is versatile enough to play in multiple roles, and Saul seems like a perfect fit.

Saul has been linked with a move to Liverpool as well, and Antoine Griezmann was tipped to join Manchester City earlier this summer.