Antoine Griezmann has been one of the big-money transfers for Barcelona in the regime of former president Josep Maria Bartomeu. The former president made a lot of big transfers in order to replace Neymar and make up for the lack of creativity in the midfield after the departure of Xavi Hernandez and Andreas Iniesta. The three main transfers were Philippe Coutinho, Ousmane Dembele and Antoine Griezmann. Now, all of these players may be on their way out, starting with Griezmann.
More from Everything Barca
- FC Barcelona tracking Belgian Wonderkid
- FC Barcelona vs Betis Player Ratings
- Barça boss Xavi to get contract extension
- FC Barcelona planning swoop for Arsenal midfielder
- Barcelona interested in €30 million wonderkid
Griezmann was one of the mega transfers completed by the Catalans which made Barcelona one of the most star-studded teams in all of Europe. With so many big-name players playing for the Blaugrana, everyone thought that the Catalans would be next to unstoppable however, none of the three transfers were able to live up to expectations and now that Barca are strapped for cash, it will not be surprising if one or all of them are sold before the start of the next season.
The former Atletico Madrid player had a difficult first season with the Catalans however, he improved greatly in the last season. Comparing his stats of last season to his ones at Atletico will reveal that he had one of his personal best seasons in 2020/21 as well. He ended up with 20 goals and 13 assists in all competitions, and he was the second-highest scorer for the Catalans behind only Lionel Messi.
Barcelona open to selling Antoine Griezmann
However, although his stats may seem impressive, the reality of the situation is that the former World Cup winner was just too inconsistent. There were large periods of time last season, where the forward was not at all impactful and Ronald Koeman could not even play him on the pitch due to his form. Then, there were times when Griezmann was absolutely unstoppable and was scoring goals left and right.
Due to this, the Catalan man’s value has gone up and it would be a perfect time to move him on. The player is already 30 years old, and the Catalans have already brought in Memphis Depay as their main number nine. Griezmann could never really fit into the Barcelona structure and the Catalans do not really need a supporting striker as they now have Depay as well as Sergio Aguero. The Frenchman would also bring a lot of funds which would help Barcelona register their new transfers.
Thus, all in all, it seems that the best option is to sell the superstar before the next season begins. Here are five clubs where Griezmann could fit in, should he choose to leave his current club.
#1 Paris Saint-Germain
Paris Saint-Germain’s exit from the UEFA Champions League last season has sent them on a spending spree. They have already bought Achraf Hakimi for around 70 million euros, and have also secured the services of free agents, Gini Wijnaldum, and Sergio Ramos after offering them massive contracts.
The club is also in talks with another big free agent, Gianluigi Donnarumma. This just shows that the French giants are on a warpath. They missed out on the league title, which was a big shock for them, and they were also easily dumped out of the UCL by Manchester City. Now they are looking to come back, stronger than ever, and Antoine Griezmann could be just the player they need to finish the squad.
The secondary striker could play behind Kylian Mbappe, and the two already have a great deal of chemistry. He could also play as a number nine, allowing Mbappe to play on the right while Neymar plays on the left. Finally, Griezmann could also play as a false nine, and give a new dimension to the team. PSG does not have a proper striker at the moment apart from Mauro Icardi however, the Argentine has not been able to live up to expectations. Maybe it is time for them to look at other options and Griezmann would definitely make a good candidate for that.
#2 Bayern Munich
The German kings were unlucky not to beat PSG in the UCL last season, as it was down to only one reason, the absence of Robert Lewandowski. The Polish striker has become a living legend at the club who is always on the lookout for goals, and is the perfect poacher whom any club would love to have. Lewandowski managed to have a couple of insane seasons with the Bavarians, and he would have loved to defend the UCL successfully.
However, the Polish international suffered an injury during the international friendlies, and thus they were left without a proper striker. Serge Gnabry was also missing from the squad and thus Bayern Munich had to play with Eric Choupo Moting upfront. The Germans took 31 shots in the first leg of the quarter-finals, however, they only managed to score two goals. This shows us that there is a lack of finishing when Lewandowski is not in the squad. The Polish striker cannot always be expected to be fit and on top of that, 32 years old already and he could slow down significantly in the years to come.
This is where Griezmann comes in. The French star is still in his prime although he has just hit 30. He can provide good service to Lewandowski, as well as, take his place when the Polish striker is out injured, or taking a break. Griezmann would be a fantastic support to the big striker upfront, and he could also play in a few different roles due to his great versatility. Overall, Griezmann would be a good bet for Bayern, as they need more goalscorers and the Frenchman proved in his last season that he can still score a lot in the top level of European football.
#3 Inter Milan
Inter Milan are a team that might be a shadow of themselves in the next season. I Nerazzurri managed to throw Juventus from Serie A’s throne after a nine-year dominance by the Old Lady. This was surely a sign for good things to come however, as it stands, Inter might lose out on a lot of their best players from last season.
According to reports, the current Inter president, Steven Zhang, has decided that the club needs to sell their best players in order to raise funds in the club. They have already sold one of their best players, Hakimi, to PSG and they have also lost their top coach, Antonio Conte, as they refused to bring in players of his choice. The Milan team is planning on a major cost-cutting scheme which could see the likes of Lautaro Martinez, Romelu Lukaku, and Nicolo Barella, all leaving the club. Should the club sell one of their top strikers, it is only natural that they would want to bring in someone to replace him, Griezmann seems like the perfect man for the job.
Inter Milan would be hoping to defend the scudetto next season, and thus selling all their top players does not sound ideal. However, if they are going to sell players, they should bring some new players in as well. The club could turn a profit by selling Lukaku and buying Griezmann, and according to reports, that is exactly what Zhang wants anyway, to turn a profit. The French player would do well alongside Martinez, however, that depends on whether the Argentine actually stays in the club or not. As for now, Inter does not seem like a likely club for Griezmann however, football is unpredictable so we cannot rule the move-out.
#4 Juventus
Another Serie A club that could potentially sign the troubled superstar is Juventus. The Old Lady saw their dominance in the Serie A finally come to an end after nine seasons. They were no better in the UCL either, getting knocked out by Portuguese side Porto. This was not acceptable by Juventus’ chairman, Andrea Agnelli, at all. He sacked former legend, Andrea Pirlo, from the role of manager and replaced him with former head coach Massimiliano Allegri.
That is just the beginning of the new era of the club, as the new manager wishes to make a lot of changes around the club. According to reports, Allegri is not happy with the performance of Cristiano Ronaldo and could be looking to replace him. PSG are reportedly interested in signing the Portuguese superstar, and this could open up the possibilities of Juve signing Antoine Griezmann.
The Italian giants have recognized the 30-year-old as a possible replacement for Ronaldo, and according to reports from Marca, Barcelona will be more than happy to let the former World Cup winner join the Bianconeri. Griezmann could link up nicely with Alvaro Morata and Paulo Dybala, to once again make Juventus the champions of Italy, and hopefully the champions of Europe as well.
#5 Manchester City
Out of all the clubs that Antoine Griezmann could potentially join, one of the clubs have actively made him one of their targets, and that club is Manchester City. The English side let their legendary striker, Sergio Aguero, leave the club on a free transfer, and now they are looking for a new striker to fill up his place.
Their main target for the summer is Tottenham Hotspur and England star, Harry Kane. The 27-year-old striker, who has managed to reach the Euros 2021 finals had made it very clear, towards the season’s end, that he wanted to leave the club. Kane is one of the highest-scoring strikers in the Premier League however, he is yet to win a major trophy in his long and successful career. He made up his mind that he needs a move away from Spurs in order to win a major trophy and Pep Guardiola has made it clear that he wants to sign the Spurs star.
However, Spur’s owner, Daniel Levy, has put an outrageous price tag on the player and even a club like Manchester City is having trouble fulfilling that. Should the Sky Blues miss out on the English striker, they have a backup plan in Griezmann. Pep Guardiola has previously shown his interest in the French Superstar however, they ultimately did not pursue him. Now, however, after winning three PLs, Pep can make a big-money transfer and bring in Griezmann as an alternative to Kane.
The forward fits his style of play and he can be easily deployed as a false nine. Guardiola loves to play a false nine over a traditional striker and the Barcelona man would be perfect for that role. As for now, the City boss has ordered his team to keep a close eye on Griezmann and we could potentially see the former Atletico man rock out the Sky Blue color in the next season.
Which club would suit Antoine Griezmann the best?