Antoine Griezmann focused only on Barcelona
The return of Antoine Griezmann to Barcelona must have been an awkward affair given the rumors of a possible exit. Had negotiations been more fruitful, there is a very good chance he could have found himself back with Atletico Madrid.
However, that deal ended up falling through and now he’s back in training with manager Ronald Koeman ready to give him some minutes in their upcoming match against Girona.
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Griezmann is expected to take part in Barcelona’s next preseason game
Despite the links to not only Atletico Madrid but Juventus as well, Griezmann is fully concentrated on his role at Barcelona.
According to Mundo Deportivo, the Frenchman finds himself calm and has not been told by the club about a possible wage cut. Something that has been told to some of the more veteran players of the squad.
Furthermore, he’s also been told his wages are not a hindrance in the Catalan’s efforts to re-sign Lionel Messi.
While he has not been made aware that the club want to sell him, Griezmann will study an offer should it present itself.
The talks with Atletico were progressing and then was completely discarded because of Barcelona’s insistence on a transfer fee and their refusal to pay part of his salary like in the Luis Suarez deal.
Recently, the Frenchman was linked with Manchester City but no approach with his agent has been made.
🚨🚨[ @MatteMoretto🥇] | Antoine Griezmann’s priority is to stay in Spain. At the moment the Frenchman is not opening the door to move to the Premier League, Serie A and other leagues.
— BarçaTimes (@BarcaTimes) July 21, 2021
If Griezmann were open to a move, he wants to stay in Spain so an exit to another like Serie A or the English Premier League looks unlikely. In Spain, theoretically, there are only two other clubs he could join. Atletico Madrid is one of them and Real Madrid is the other.
Barcelona are not going to do a deal with Real Madrid and their rivals likely don’t have the money to pay a high transfer fee even if they were interested.
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Unless something drastic happens — Griezmann changes his mind on leaving Spain or talks resume with Atletico — odds are he remains a Barcelona player come next season. In the grand scheme of things, having Griezmann on your team is not the worst thing in the world.