The proposed transfer of French international goalkeeper Gregory Coupet from champions Lyon to Spain's Atletico Madrid has hit a hitch, Spanish media reports said Saturday.

According to sports daily AS, Coupet, 35, flew to Madrid on Friday with Lyon's permission to sign a contract but then the French side broke off talks after it seemed an agreement was imminent. A Lyon spokesman said overnight that Atletico's proposal was "not what we were expecting."

Marca reported the problem related to differences on the transfer installments which would render the deal "virtually impossible", while AS added that Atletico would not budge from its position.

Coupet has a clause in his contract running to 2010 allowing him to leave Lyon, with whom he has won seven straight league titles, for three million euros, but the Spanish have proposed only half that sum.