Atletico Madrid have slapped a massive valuation of €60 million on winger Yannick Carrasco, who has emerged as a January transfer target for Barcelona, reports journalist Toni Juanmarti.
The 29-year-old is being sought by the Blaugrana as part of a swap deal that would see Memphis Depay move to Atletico Madrid. While the Rojiblancos are intent on signing the Barça striker, they are equally reluctant to let Carrasco leave for nothing.
The report states that Atleti do not want to pay anything to sign Depay, given that his contract expires at the end of the season. Furthermore, they have deemed the chances of a direct swap deal involving the Dutch and the Belgian internationals as impossible.
This is because Atletico Madrid see Carrasco as a key part of Diego Simeone’s plans. On top of that, they believe that the 29-year-old ace is better than the two forwards Barcelona acquired in recent times in Raphinha and Ferran Torres for massive amounts.
Hence, Atletico Madrid value Carrasco at €60 million and will not let him join the Catalan giants in a direct player-for-player swap. They would be open to facilitating his departure, but only if his valuation is met.
Carrasco’s agent, Pini Zahavi, had claimed that the winger would be keen on joining the La Liga leaders. However, given Atletico’s insistence on the price tag, a deal seems unlikely at this point unless something changes.
At the same time, they are uninterested in paying any fee for Depay as well, but Barcelona do not want to let the Dutchman go for free, leading to the possibility of a deal diminishing rapidly. The Colchoneros are prepared to wait until summer to sign him rather than paying anything now.
It is further insisted that Atletico have identified S.C. Braga’s Vitinha as a possible alternative for a loan deal should Depay’s move does not materialise.
