Barcelona to negotiate with Atletico Madrid over transfer fee of Yannick Carrasco

Barcelona are looking to reduce the transfer fee of summer target and Atletico Madrid star Yannick Carrasco.

The Catalan club have the option to buy the Belgian winger for €15 million this summer, a clause included as part of Memphis Depay’s transfer to Atletico in January.

According to Mundo Deportivo, Barca are not willing to pay the agreed fee and instead are looking to sit down with Los Rojiblancos to lower the cost.

Carrasco, for his part, would request Atletico to reduce their financial demands as he is keen on moving to Camp Nou in the summer.

Barca are looking to replicate what happened in Antoine Griezmann’s case. Atletico were initially placed with a purchase option of €40m, but they managed to lower it to €20m to facilitate the permanent transfer of the Frenchman last October.

With their financial crisis continuing to take a toll, Barca are planning to put in similar demands to Atletico for Carrasco in the summer.

Although it is not a mandatory option, Barca don’t want to lose out on Carrasco, who has been one of the key players for Diego Simeone since his return to Wanda Metropolitano in 2020 after a couple of years in the Chinese Super League.

His performance level might have dropped this season, but nothing could take away from his influential role behind Atletico’s La Liga triumph in the 2020/21 season.

The 29-year-old’s versatility to play as a left winger and left wing-back will make him a great addition to Xavi’s side.

The left-wing remains an area of concern for Barcelona, with Ousmane Dembele being sidelined with injury, while Ferran Toress and Ansu Fati have struggled to find any kind of momentum.

Carrasco’s signing will fix the issue and add more solidity to the attack.

A price of around €15m looks reasonable, but it remains to be seen whether Barca will overcome their financial obstacles and comply with La Liga’s Financial Fair Play ahead of next season.