Spanish football evening headlines: Griezmann to be traded for Saul, Messi close to new five-year deal, Ancelotti has a lot of homework to do

A trade deal between Barcelona and Atletico Madrid; Antoine Griezmann returns to the Wanda Metropolitano and Saul comes to Camp Nou. It seemed highly unlikely only a few weeks ago but it’s now looking like a real possibility according to Marca.

Lionel Messi close to signing five-year deal with Barcelona

Lionel Messi is close to renewing with Barcelona for five seasons more according to L’Esportiu and Mundo Deportivo. The official announcement could be delayed by a few days while the club wait for the green light from La Liga, but Joan Laporta and Mateu Alemany are confident that they’ve got it over the line.

Carlo Ancelotti has homework to do as Real Madrid coach

Carlo Ancelotti has a lot of homework to do as Real Madrid coach and only a month to do it according to Diario AS . Their season gets underway on August 14th against Alaves, but there’s still a lot of unanswered questions at Valdebebas. Decisions need to be taken on the likes of Marcelo, Isco, Luka Jovic, Mariano Diaz, Eden Hazard, Gareth Bale, Dani Ceballos and Brahim Diaz.