Atletico Madrid star Antoine Griezmann continues to be linked with a move to Barcelona, and now it’s reported that Atleti may have identified a replacement.
The 27-year-old has enjoyed another stellar campaign as he’s bagged 27 goals and 14 assists in 46 appearances in all competitions.
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Although question marks could be raised over how coach Ernesto Valverde plans to fit him in alongside the likes of Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez, Ousmane Dembele and Philippe Coutinho if he does move to the Nou Camp, it seems as though rumours refuse to go away as noted by BBC Sport.
According to Mundo Deportivo, Diego Simeone could now welcome Paris Saint-Germain striker Edinson Cavani to the Wanda Metropolitano next season as a replacement, with an ‘agreement in principle’ said to be reached, which in turn could open the door for Griezmann to complete his €100m move to Barcelona, as per the release clause in his contract.
Cavani, 31, has long been one of the most prolific forwards in Europe having scored 104 goals in 138 games for Napoli, before joining PSG in 2013 and bagging 170 goals in 245 outings for the French giants.
Combined with the fact that Fernando Torres is set to move on this summer too, it could be a sensible addition for Simeone to add a prolific presence up front, albeit he may still have to find a solution to replace the creativity offered by Griezmann when dropping deep.
Nevertheless, this is arguably positive news for Barcelona if they choose to push forward with their reported plan to sign the French international this summer.
Given the technical quality, creativity and eye for goal that he possesses, there’s little to suggest that Griezmann won’t be a hit at the Nou Camp if he were to join. Although they still have a great deal left in the tank as seen this season, with Messi and Suarez now on the wrong side of 30, it could be a crucial signing to lessen their load moving forward too and add more world-class quality to the squad.