Saturday 20 January 2018 13:25, UK
Barcelona have issued a statement denying they have agreed a deal to sign Atletico Madrid forward Antoine Griezmann.
The La Liga leaders took the unusual step of issuing a statement on Saturday denying the move after reports in Spain claimed they had a deal in place to bring Griezmann to the Nou Camp.
The Barcelona statement read: "FC Barcelona strongly denies the information that has appeared over the course of the last few hours in different media regarding Atlético Madrid player, Antoine Griezmann, and an alleged deal with our club.
"FC Barcelona expresses its objections in the face of these events and reiterates its full respect for the institution of Atlético Madrid."
Spanish daily Sport had reported: "The Atletico Madrid forward has agreed to join Barcelona and will be under (coach) Ernesto Valverde's orders next season."
The newspaper claimed Griezmann's transfer would take place after this summer's World Cup in Russia, where he will play a key role for France.
Catalan daily, Mundo Deportivo, also reported back in December that Griezmann's family had lunch with the Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu to smooth the way for the transfer.
Barcelona have been looking to add high-quality players to their squad since Paris Saint Germain lured Brazilian star Neymar to France in a world record signing in August.
