Antoine Griezmann will accept a transfer away from Barcelona as long as it is to a competitive side, with Atletico Madrid’s Saul a possible swap option.
Griezmann wants to leave
According to Spanish newspapers, Antoine Griezmann has “not closed the door on a Barcelona exit” this summer and will consider his options if he is deemed surplus to requirements by Ronald Koeman and Camp Nou president Joan Laporta. The France international is one of the candidates being considered by Laporta and Barca sporting director Mateu Alemany as a potential sacrificial lamb to help ease the club’s precarious financial situation and reduce its wage bill to comply with LaLiga’s salary cap. The Barcelona board are also desperately trying to find a solution to the impasse over a new deal for star forward Leo Messi, with Philippe Coutinho, Samuel Umtiti and Miralem Pjanic among the players the club would like to cash in on or at least remove from the books as they seek to make room for new arrivals Memphis Depay, Emerson, Eric Garcia and Sergio Agüero.
Questioning the qualities of Griezmann
While few at the club are questioning Griezmann’s quality as a player, the feeling is that due to his playing style, his salary and the arrival of two more attacking players the Frenchman is the prime candidate to be moved on to balance the books and the squad. According to La Vanguardia, Griezmann has come to accept the club’s position and will not dig in his heels about a transfer this summer, but only if he is sold to a “competitive” club. The forward has three years remaining on his Camp Nou contract and would prefer to see them out but if that means a significant reduction in playing time with Aguero fitting the profile of impact substitute after his arrival from Manchester City, Griezmann will accept a move, with the Premier League club reportedly having made contact