Barcelona have been tipped to make another marquee signing this summer to further bolster Ernesto Valverde’s squad, and reports in France claim a key agreement has been in place for months.
The Catalan giants remain on course to win the La Liga title this season, while they’re also in the hunt for the Copa del Rey and Champions League as the campaign could yet prove to be very fruitful.
Having signed the likes of Ousmane Dembele and Philippe Coutinho in the last two transfer windows, coupled with their success to this point with the current squad so far this year, it would be realistic to suggest that they won’t look to make any more big-money signings in the immediate future as they seem very strong already.
According to Le 10 Sport though, that couldn’t be further from the truth. It’s claimed that the Catalan giants have had an agreement with Atletico Madrid star Antoine Griezmann for months and will merely have to pay his €100m release clause this summer to take him to the Nou Camp.
It’s claimed Atleti failed in their latest attempt to convince him to sign a new contract. With this reported agreement in place since ‘last autumn’, it paints a very positive picture for Barca fans who could be welcoming another big name to the club in the near future.
There’s no denying that the 26-year-old is a top-class player, as he has shown that for club and country time and time again in recent years.
Griezmann has 104 goals in 196 appearances for Atleti since joining them in 2014, and so that suggests he’ll be capable of making an immediate and long-term impact at Barcelona as he knows La Liga well and has pedigree in Europe.
However, a potential transfer does come with a concern too though. With Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez, Dembele, Coutinho and Andres Iniesta to an extent all battling for positions in the starting line-up in the attacking third already, it will pose a serious selection headache for Valverde if Griezmann is added to that mix this summer.
Whether he can fit them all in remains to be seen, or he could risk upsetting the balance in the side if particular individuals have to sit out and be part of a rotation.