Barcelona plan to swap Antoine Griezmann with Atletico Madrid star

Barcelona star Antoine Griezmann has been rumored to leave the club for several weeks now. The Frenchman makes 800,000 pounds a week according to a wage listing from 2019 and that adds up to a total of 45 million per season. As of now, the Catalans need to free up a huge amount in their wage bill in order to register Lionel Messi and other new arrivals before the transfer window ends.

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The Catalans are struggling to meet La Liga’s wage rules and this has caused a crisis at the Nou Camp. , Barca has shifted all focus to player sales, and even contract termination, in order to register stars like Messi, Kun Aguero, Memphis Depay, Eric Garcia, and Emerson.

According to SPORT, the Spanish giants are now working on a transfer that will see Antoine Griezmann out of the club in the summer. These same reports suggest that the Blaugrana may be involved in a swap deal with Atletico Madrid.

Barcelona could secure an Atletico Madrid midfielder for Antoine Griezmann

There are many giant European clubs that are interested in signing the former Atleti man. However, the forward is only interested in leaving if he rejoins his former side at the Wanda Metropolitano this summer. Blaugrana are looking to sell him but are reluctant on letting him join any Spanish club as they do not want a repeat of a ‘Suarez’ situation. Recent reports have suggested that Diego Simeone is interested in selling star midfielder Saul Niguez who’s has been in terrific form. Hence, according to Mundo Deportivo, Barcelona could potentially get Saul in return for selling Griezmann back to Atletico Madrid as Ronald Koeman is still in the market for a box-to-box midfielder.

There are multiple clubs that are heavily interested in signing Griezmann. A star like the Frenchman is usually extremely expensive, especially in this kind of market. However, due to multiple financial problems at Barcelona, they don’t have much option rather than just selling for less than what they would ideally desire. The Catalans have to free up wages in order to sign Lionel Messi for a new contract. Hence, if Antoine is sold, he could be sold for cheap as other clubs are aware of Barca’s situation.

Premier League clubs like Chelsea, Manchester City, and Manchester United are also reportedly very interested in the player and would like to be kept informed on his situation. However, the Barcelona board is currently evaluating the swap deal where they let go of the Frenchman and free up the wages, while also landing a world-class midfielder to add depth to their squad.

Should Barca swap Griezmann for Saul?