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Barcelona : Who are the alternatives to Antoine Griezmann?

By Chiranjib Ghosh

LA BOCA, ARGENTINA - MAY 06: Cristian Pavon of Boca Juniors drives the ball during a match between Boca Juniors and Union de Santa Fe as part of Superliga 2017/18at Estadio Alberto J. Armando on May 6, 2018 in La Boca, Argentina. (Photo by Marcelo Endelli/Getty Images)
LA BOCA, ARGENTINA - MAY 06: Cristian Pavon of Boca Juniors drives the ball during a match between Boca Juniors and Union de Santa Fe as part of Superliga 2017/18at Estadio Alberto J. Armando on May 6, 2018 in La Boca, Argentina. (Photo by Marcelo Endelli/Getty Images) /
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Barcelona are looking at some alternatives to Griezmann

KIEV, UKRAINE – MAY 26: Mohamed Salah of Liverpool looks on during the UEFA Champions League final between Real Madrid and Liverpool on May 26, 2018 in Kiev, Ukraine. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)
KIEV, UKRAINE – MAY 26: Mohamed Salah of Liverpool looks on during the UEFA Champions League final between Real Madrid and Liverpool on May 26, 2018 in Kiev, Ukraine. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images) /

Antoine Griezmann promised that he would make a call on his future before the World Cup. The tournament is only a week away from commencing and he hasn’t made a decision yet. This has worried the Barça management, who are looking at alternative options.

The Barcelona scouting team have found three alternatives to Antoine Griezmann. The required profile is that of a young forward who can also play on the flanks. In short, that player should have the same attributes as Griezmann.

The first option is a player who the club’s scouting network has been following for a long time, Thomas Lemar. The 22-year old Monaco winger is a very talented player, and has a lot of potential.

Lemar is a very expensive option. In fact, Monaco rejected a bid of over €100 million from Arsenal last summer. He is also unsuited to the centre-forward position. Although he is young, he would need to make a lot of changes to his game to fit in at Barcelona, which would have a lot of time.

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The second option is Cristian Pavón. The Boca Juniors forward is a natural winger, but he can also play up front. He has shown a lot of chemistry with Lionel Messi in the Argentina setup under Jorge Sampaoli, and that may work in his favour.

The 22-year also has a lot of potential. But since he is a non-EU player, the management would need to make extensive adjustments to the squad to integrate him. Pavón will also be costly, and also cumbersome to sign.

The third and final option is Mohamed Salah. The Egyptian does not have much room for growth, and he would not be able to succeed Luis Suárez. The 26-year old did have an amazing season with Liverpool, but he has a long way to go before he can be a world-class player.

Also, the club would need to pay a significant fee to sign him from Liverpool, a club with which Barcelona are not on good terms with since the club poached Philippe Coutinho from them last winter.

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It is clear that Cristian Pavón would be the best option, while Thomas Lemar would be easiest to sign and integrate into the squad. The management should make a decision on choosing the perfect alternative for Antoine Griezmann, so that the club can work on signing that player immediately if the Frenchman decides to stay at Atlético.