One of the biggest flop buys that Barcelona made was in 2019 when they bought Antoine Griezmann from Atletico Madrid for a whopping 120 million euros. He was supposed to be the answer to all their problems that they had been facing after Neymar left however, he was never in form and could never replicate the world-class form that he showed back in Atletico. He was one of the best players in the world in 2018 and his world cup performance was second to none. Barcelona had clear intentions when they signed the player, it was going to strengthen their team while weakening a rival.
However, none of that went according to plan and fans were almost begging him to leave. His constant rows with Lionel Messi, as portrayed by the media, did him no favor either. He was considered as a bad buy and a liability by the fans and even though he managed to show his true form a few times last season, it was not consistent enough to keep him at the club. He was sent out on a loan deal back to Atletico with an option to buy later on. Antoine Griezmann has not had a spectacular return to his former club however, he seems a lot more comfortable.
Antoine Griezmann doesn’t want a Barcelona return
In an interview with Transfermarkt, the forward told them that he is feeling more at home with Atletico and that he wants to continue working for Diego Simeone. He said,
"“I hope Atleti want me as long as I can keep up with the pace of the games and the demanded level, and that we can write another beautiful story.”Source AS"
Talking about Barca, he said that the timing of the move was wrong and the situation at the club made it difficult for him to settle into the club. He did not talk much about his parent club however, he continued to emphasize the fact that Atletico Madrid is the place where he wants to stay. The main problem is that he is 30 years old now and Atletico might not want to keep him. Barca will be better off without him however, it all depends upon the Madrid side’s decision.
Should Barcelona sell Antoine Griezmann?