If reports are to be believed, then Atletico Madrid forward Antoine Griezmann is desperate to leave Vicente Calderon now and would entertain any offer from clubs willing to land him that include the likes of Barcelona and Manchester United. Despite coming very close to sealing a move to Old Trafford last summer, Barcelona still have a real chance of landing the player next window.
The Catalans have had a nightmarish transfer window this summer that led them to sell Neymar to Paris Saint-Germain for the biggest transfer fee yet and they replaced the Brazilian with an exciting prospect, Ousmane Dembele. Following a poor season in Europe last term, Neymar’s absence has surely slashed Barcelona’s threat by half as new coach Ernesto Valverde managed to have a similar transfer business that drowned his predecessor Luis Enrique.
Apart from the last-minute buy of Dembele from Borussia Dortmund, Barca have also brought in Gerard Deulofeu from Everton, Paulinho from Guangzhou Evergrande Taobao, Nelson Semedo from Benfica and retained Thomas Vermaelen after he returned from Serie A side AS Roma.
After a thumping defeat to Real Madrid in the Supercopa legs, the curtain raiser of La Liga, Barca have found their pace against Real Betis and Alaves in the domestic league. However, if compared to the level of their arch-rivals, Real Madrid or the giants of Europe, Valverde knows his attack is far from threatening.
Someone like Griezmann will definitely be a major upgrade on the front three and with Don Balon reporting the player’s availability, Valverde will leave no stones unturned to land him. Naturally a centre-forward, The France international can play equally well on the flanks. At 28, he is at the peak of his powers and whether it’s finishing, dribbling, or taking impeccable free kicks, he excels in all.
He can bring back invincibility to Barcelona and his smooth record in the La Liga is a proof of it. Although he is yet to open his account this season, he has been phenomenal in the league since his days with Real Sociedad.
He moved to Atletico Madrid at the back of a good 52 goals and 18 assists for Sociedad in over 200 games, and he has just levelled up since then, He now has 83 goals and 25 assists in 153 games for the Rojo Blancos, which includes his 16 goals and 8 assists from the last season itself.
After the player decided to stay with Atletico Madrid following their transfer ban, his valuation has seen huge slump from £183 million to £91 million. Barcelona would likely have to shell out somewhere in the region of £100 million to land him, which is quite affordable after the sale of Neymar.
