Antoine Griezmann reportedly has no intention of joining Athletic Club and wants to move to Atletico Madrid permanently when he leaves Barcelona.
According to a report by Spanish publication AS, Antoine Griezmann does not want to join Athletic Club in the summer transfer window. The French international is eager to remain at Atletico Madrid and wishes to permanently move back to the Wanda Metropolitano when he leaves Barcelona.
Antoine Griezmann was once one of the best players in the world, with his performances prompting people to pit him against Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi in the race to win the coveted Ballon d’Or. But the 31-year-old has seen his stock plummet since joining Barcelona from Atletico Madrid in July 2019.
The French forward blew hot and cold in his first two seasons with the Blaugrana, and Barcelona unsurprisingly offloaded him in a temporary transfer last summer. Griezmann returned to Atletico Madrid on a season-long loan deal, hoping to resurrect his stuttering career ahead of the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
But Griezmann continued to be inconsistent in the 2021/22 season, managing only eight goals and seven assists in 39 appearances across all competitions. Despite blowing hot and cold at Atletico Madrid, the Colchoneros want to re-sign Griezmann from Barcelona in a permanent deal in the summer transfer window.
Recent reports have claimed that Atletico Madrid could pay around €40 million to re-sign the 31-year-old. Widespread speculation also suggested that Barcelona and Atletico Madrid could shake hands on a swap deal involving Griezmann and Alvaro Morata, one of Barcelona’s summer targets.
But Athletic Club emerged as a possible contender to sign Griezmann in the summer transfer window. Marcelo Bielsa, a candidate to be the Basque outfit’s next manager, wants to bring the Barcelona forward to San Mames. But Griezmann does not wish to move to Athletic Club as he has his heart set on rejoining Atletico Madrid.
It will be interesting to see if Atletico Madrid and Barcelona continue to discuss a possible summer move over a permanent deal in the summer transfer window. But Athletic Club might have to look elsewhere to sign a new striker in their first-team squad ahead of the 2022/23 season.