Barcelona are plotting a move for Atletico Madrid striker Antoine Griezmann next summer. According to recent sources in the Spanish press, the Catalans are still eager to secure the services of the French international even after signing the duo of Ousmane Dembele and Phillipe Coutinho in recent times. Ernesto Valverde’s side are cruising to the La Liga title but it appears a summer of change is on the horizon. Dembele has been touted to make a move despite only signing from Borussia Dortmund for a staggering £120m last summer.
Atletico Madrid have emerged as one of his potential suitors with Diego Simeone’s side likely to overhaul their squad at the end of the campaign. A Spanish source has recently stated that Griezmann reckons Dembele will not be allowed to depart the club. The same report also goes on to suggest that the French forward does not expect him to switch clubs anytime soon. Instead, two other Barca players could be used as bait to tempt the Madrid outfit into parting ways with their prized asset.
The duo of Andre Gomes and Gerard Deulofeu have been deemed surplus to requirements under Ernesto Valverde this term, with the latter currently out on loan at Watford. It is believed that Atletico Madrid may be tempted to accept a swap deal that could open the door for Griezmann to join Barcelona.
Barcelona are currently leading the La Liga with a tally of 62 points in 24 matches. They are seven points above second-placed Atletico Madrid with just 14 matches to go in this campaign. The Catalans have scored 62 goals in 24 matches but most of the goal-scoring workload has been shared between Luis Suarez and Lionel Messi. Ousmane Dembele’s time at the Nou Camp this season has been plagued with injuries with the French forward missing a lot of matches of late which could cut his time short at the club.
The addition of someone of the calibre of Griezmann will undoubtedly bolster Valverde’s attacking options at the club ahead of the new campaign as they try to consolidate their dominance over their Madrid rivals in the coming years.
The French international has scored 13 goals and provided 9 assists in 31 matches across all competitions for the Wanda Metropolitano based outfit this season. It remains to be seen what lies ahead in the future of the Athletico Madrid forward and whether he ends up making a move to the Nou Camp next summer.
