In a recent report, Sport has offered an update on Barcelona forward Antoine Griezmann’s future at the Nou Camp. It has been revealed that the French striker is only willing to make a switch to Atletico Madrid which could make it difficult for the Catalan giants to offload him during this summer transfer period (via Sport).
Griezmann’s Solid Record At The Nou Camp Last Season
Griezmann was a valuable contributor in Barca’s first XI last season when he performed at a high level as an influential member of their attack. The Macon-born sensation appeared in 51 matches for Ronald Koeman’s side in the previous campaign, scoring 20 goals and grabbing 13 assists across various competitions.
The 30-year-old managed to impress by averaging 2.0 shots, 1.2 key passes and 0.7 dribbles per 90 minutes in La Liga. He even interchanged possession with his teammates quite well after completing 87.3% of his attempted passes in the Spanish top tier (stats via whoscored).
Griezmann has got three years remaining in his current contract at Catalonia, so he holds the leverage with regards to where he ends up in this off-season. Therefore, Koeman has now got an increasingly difficult job to get the best out of an unsettled first-team star in the upcoming campaign.
Griezmann Only Willing To Move To Atletico Madrid: What Should Be Koeman’s Play Here?
Griezmann can be a tricky proposition for the opposition centre-backs as he has a habit of generating a yard of space for himself to get a few shots in at goal. He can be a decent finisher in the attacking third and can also engineer some meaningful openings for others around him.
The France international has proven his worth at the highest level and deserves credit for sharing the attacking workload with Lionel Messi up top. However, Barca need to sell some of their highest-earning stars to ease their financial concerns this summer.
Hence, it is no surprise that the Catalans are so desperate to cash in on Griezmann this summer. However, unless Atletico decide to make a fair offer for his services, Koeman would have no choice but to keep hold of the Frenchman beyond this summer and hope that he can stay professional and give a good account of himself at the Nou Camp next season.
