Forward lays down condition as Barcelona look to complete transfer this summer

Barcelona's chances of offloading Antoine Griezmann are looking slim after the forward made it clear that Atletico Madrid is the only club he is willing to consider to leave the Camp Nou this summer.

The Catalan club were hoping to complete a deal at the earliest and get him off their wage bill in order to register their new signings and re-sign Lionel Messi. Barcelona president Joan Laporta and director of football Matheu Alemany confirmed last week that they are open to offers for the Frenchman.

According to Sport, Griezmann has made it clear to the Barcelona hierarchy that he is open to leave, but Atletico remains his only option. There is interest from clubs in England and Italy, but the France international does not seem convinced about leaving Spain this summer.

Barcelona were in discussions with the reigning La Liga champions over a swap deal involving Griezmann and Saul Niguez. Both the players had given the go ahead for the move, but the Catalan club's demands for Atletico to pay a fee for the 2018 World Cup winner has seen talks stall in recent weeks.

The La Liga outfit are desperate to offload Griezmann, who is among a few players on the team that has market value and can generate income for the cash strapped club. Manchester United, Chelsea and Manchester City were credited with interest, but are yet to make formal contact with Barcelona.

If Barcelona do fail to find Griezmann a new home this summer, they will have to work around the forward's wages. The club are said to be negotiating pay cuts with a number of first team stars and hopeful that with multiple cuts they can afford the Frenchman, who is currently the highest earner at the club.

The club remain hopeful that Griezmann softens his stance, especially with the player looking at reduced game time following the arrivals of Memphis Depay and Sergio Aguero to bolster manager Ronald Koeman's frontline.