Barcelona: Decoding the Saúl Ñíguez – Antoine Griezmann swap deal
By Akash Roy
The second nature of the world of football is its unpredictability. We now have a strong brewing possibility of a swap deal between Barcelona and Atlético.
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The recent reports of Wednesday initiated fresh speculations in the transfer world- “an eye startling” prospect of a swap deal between La Liga elites, FC Barcelona and Atlético Madrid. The ‘deal’ involves the two orchestrators from both their respective camps.
Details about the “swap deal”
The idea from the Barcelonistes is to conjure up a deal that sees the French architect Antoine Griezmann return to his former club while playmaker Saúl Ñíguez leaves the Wanda Metropolitano for Camp Nou.
Barcelona and Atletico are in advanced talks for swap deal between Saúl and Griezmann! Both players gave the green light in the last hours. 🇪🇸🔄
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) July 14, 2021
Barça and Atléti now negotiating on price tags. Barça want money included.
Liverpool and Chelsea keen on Saúl if deal will collapse.
Multiple sources have confirmed to Everything Barca that the swap deal will not involve only two players; the reason for that is simple- Griezmann though is 30 years old, has a significantly higher market value as compared to his former Atlético teammate.
The versatile Frenchman has a price tag of $66 million in the transfer market, while Saúl, despite being four years younger, is priced at around $44 million. The differential of $20 million looks odd by its nature. Thus, the complete disclosure of the deal is to also include either Mario Hermoso or Renan Lodi. It is to make up for the significant difference, or they could settle with cash plus Saúl.
Barcelona’s need for the swap
Saúl Ñíguez is a wanted man right now. Premier League sides like Liverpool and Chelsea are very interested in him. The fresh signing of Rodrigo de Paul devalues Saúl’s position in the team. Thus Madrid is pondering to make quick strides in the situation to convert it into a win-win.
On the other side, we already predicted that Antoine Griezmann would be a transferred asset for the Blaugrana in this summer transfer window. The reason for that is the player’s immense value and adaptability to any style of football. The financial crunch and the turmoil of Barça’s financial situation force the club to make some desperate moves.
Griezmann’s wage demands do not help the club in any way and contribute to another reason why the management is keen on cashing him out. The new signings at the Camp Nou reinstated some of that lost firepower into Barça’s squad.
With more attacking options up for utilization, the reliance on Griezmann seemed redundant to the board. The move helps the club to attain a comparatively younger Spanish international. It also helps to reduce the wage bill of the club. Losing a large salary structured contract and replacing it with a new one would help Barcelona reduce their outgoings.
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What do you make of this swap deal on the cards?