Atletico Madrid see Barcelona target as ‘untouchable’, will not sanction his exit

Atletico Madrid have seemingly closed the door on Barcelona’s hopes of signing Yannick Carrasco this month as they see the winger as an ‘untouchable’ in the squad and will not be sanctioning his exit.

This claim comes from journalist Ruben Uria of GOAL, who states that the Rojiblancos will not be letting any more players leave in the current window, apart from Felipe.

Carrasco has emerged as a target for Barcelona, with the Catalans demanding the 29-year-old as part of a swap deal that would see Memphis Depay move in the other direction.

Atletico Madrid, for their part, hold a strong interest in signing the Dutch forward to strengthen their attacking line which has weakened by the departures of Joao Felix and Matheus Cunha.

However, as has been reported in the past, the Rojiblancos do not want to pay a penny to sign Depay, whose contract with Barcelona ends in the summer.

The Catalans, however, are seeking either financial compensation or Carrasco, in exchange for the out-of-favour Netherlands international.

The Belgian winger himself is said to be keen on a move to Camp Nou, as was confirmed by his agent, Pini Zahavi on Tuesday, when he said:

“We are talking. The plan is to exchange Yannick for Depay. It’s not concrete yet, I don’t know if it can work, but negotiations are ongoing. Yannick likes this idea and he’s a good player.”

Atletico, though, who value the Belgian international at €60 million, have no intentions of letting the winger go this month. They see the 29-year-old as an ‘untouchable’ and will not let him join Barcelona this month.

As for their interest in Depay, the Colchoneros are prepared to look at other options if negotiations with the Blaugrana continue to be difficult.