Atletico Madrid unable to register Axel Witsel due to exceeding their salary limit | OneFootball

Atletico Madrid are unable to register their first signing of the summer, Axel Witsel. That’s according to El Partidazo de Cope as carried by Marca. Los Rojiblancos have exceeded their salary limit by €100m and so are unable to register the veteran Belgian midfielder.

Atletico are therefore going to have to take action. The Spanish club need to reduce their wage bill and one way they could do that is by parting ways with Antoine Griezmann, currently on loan at the Wanda Metropolitano from Barcelona and costing them a fortune. Barcelona, for their part, are in a similar situation regarding their signings of Andreas Christensen and Franck Kessie. But deals are done but have yet to be announced.

Aside from their wage bill, Atletico have already admitted that they need to generate sales of €40m no matter what to be able to reinvest in their playing squad this summer transfer window. Witsel was a free agent after the expiration of his deal with Borussia Dortmund.