Antoine Griezmann was considered to be one of the untouchable among the Barca ranks at the start of the summer window, but the recent developments have forced Barcelona to alter their transfer stance when it comes to the Frenchman.
The club’s financial situation has gone from bad to worse as the Catalans now face the possibility of losing out on registering Lionel Messi for the next season after already having agreed on personal terms with the 34-year-old.
The Blaugrana need to lighten their wage bill before they can make any new additions. The club needs to offload several of their high-earners or ask them to take pay-cuts if they are to register their new signings.
As it stands, the Frenchman is the highest earner at Barcelona and the former La Liga champions are looking to offload him. Griezmann has been linked with a move back to Atletico Madrid as the La Liga champions are also said to be open to the idea of welcoming back their former striker.
The two sides are said to be working out on a swap deal between Griezmann and Saul Niguez, with Barca manager Ronald Koeman said to be interested in the Spaniard.
However, in recent developments, the deal has hit a dead-end as Barcelona want Joao Felix to be a part of the deal. Though the talks have cooled off, Atleti manager Diego Simeone is said to be ‘pressing’ the La Liga champions to complete the Griezmann deal.
The World Cup winner’s impressive performances under the Argentine prompted Barcelona to make a record-breaking €120 million bid for him. Griezmann’s return to Wanda Metropolitano could provide Simeone with the firepower that is needed to defend his side’s La Liga title.
The 30-year-old has not yet reported to Camp Nou for the pre-season training and is only said to do so on July 20.
