Barcelona have quite the void to fill this summer after club icon Andres Iniesta sealed his exit from the Nou Camp earlier this month.
The former club stalwart is arguably irreplaceable in terms of his experience, winning pedigree, leadership and quality on the pitch though, and so Ernesto Valverde will perhaps hope to soften the blow as much as possible instead.
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As noted by ESPN, the Catalan giants have been linked with a €100m raid on rivals Atletico Madrid this summer for forward Antoine Griezmann to meet his release clause, and that has been the case for months.
Despite already having Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez, Philippe Coutinho and Ousmane Dembele in that department, it appears as though the La Liga champions are considering boosting their attacking options further.
However, as per Sport, they might now be considering an alternative idea, with Tottenham playmaker Christian Eriksen said to be on their radar of potential signings this summer to help fill the gap left behind in midfield by Iniesta’s exit.
The 26-year-old is coming off the back of another impressive season in which he scored 14 goals and provided 13 assists in 47 outings. Given his technical quality and creative class, he could arguably fit into Barcelona’s style of play perfectly, while the ongoing frustration of not being able to win major honours with Spurs could be a decisive factor.
It’s suggested by Sport that instead of splashing out on Griezmann, Eriksen could be brought in to drop in behind an attacking trident of Coutinho, Messi and Suarez, and there is a case to be made that could bring a better balance to the side next season and beyond.
Adding Griezmann would arguably give Valverde a real selection headache, either in trying to fit all of his attacking stars into his starting line-up or rotating and keeping them all happy.
Firstly though, it remains to be seen if Eriksen can be prised away from north London as he has established himself as a key figure for Mauricio Pochettino’s side, but Barcelona could be set to test their resolve if they go cold on the idea of prioritising Griezmann.