Barcelona are set to revive their interest in World Cup winning striker Antoine Griezmann, who is reportedly considering his future at Atletico Madrid.
As per a report from French publication L’Equipe, which was picked up by MARCA, La Liga champions Barcelona are set to make another attempt to sign French forward Antoine Griezmann from Atletico Madrid, after having failed to sign him last summer.
Barcelona were strongly linked with a move for Griezmann last year, with the Frenchman also flirting with the idea of a summer switch. However, the 27-year-old made a U-turn and decided to stay put at Atletico Madrid, penning a new deal till 2023, with the decision being aired as a television documentary.
Having made a decision on his future, Griezmann went on to win the World Cup with France in the summer and has been in solid form this season. The forward has bagged 18 goals already in 39 matches across all competitions, while setting up 9 more. However, the report claims that he is currently considering his future at the club as another season with no trophies looms large.
Atletico Madrid are currently second on the La Liga table, ten points off of leaders Barcelona with ten games remaining. The Rojiblancos were knocked out of the Copa del Rey by Girona and were dumped out of the UEFA Champions League by Juventus in a humiliating manner.
Diego Simeone’s men beat Juventus 2-0 convincingly in the Round of 16 first leg tie, but plummeted to a shock 3-0 defeat in the second leg, with Cristiano Ronaldo’s hat-trick knocking Atletico Madrid out of Europe’s premier competition.
With no chance of a silverware, Griezmann, according to the report, is considering his future at the club and Barcelona are hoping to make the most of the situation by launching an audacious swoop for the World Cup winning forward in the summer.
Barcelona have a number of options in attack with captain Lionel Messi, star striker Luis Suarez, French sensation Ousmane Dembele, along with the Brazilian duo of Philippe Coutinho and Malcom. However, there are serious concerns over the future of Coutinho, with his first full season with the Catalan club failing to take off.
Moreover, with Suarez showing signs of age catching up with him this season, the time is ripe for Barcelona to put in a succession plan for the Uruguayan. And Griezmann, who is in his peak years and has seen immense success with club and country, could be the ideal way to go forward for the La Liga title holders.
What has boosted Barcelona’s hopes of landing the Frenchman further is the fact that his release clause that is set at €200 million is set to drop to €120 million in June as per the report – a figure that the Catalans are able to match quite comfortably.
Having already rejected a switch to Barcelona in the last summer, Griezmann could find it hard to resist a switch to Camp Nou once more. It, however, remains to be seen if the reigning champions are willing to splash the cash on the 27-year-old ahead of the upcoming season.
