After months of speculation linking Barcelona with Antoine Griezmann this summer, we could be moving closer to hearing official news on a potential switch.
The French international enjoyed another stellar campaign this past season, scoring 29 goals and providing 15 assists in 49 appearances for Atletico Madrid.
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That helped guide them to a second-place finish in La Liga, while they also lifted the Europa League trophy in another successful year for Diego Simeone and his players.
Barcelona arguably trumped them with their domestic double though, and yet the Catalan giants continue to be linked with attacking reinforcements this summer despite the fact that coach Ernesto Valverde already has Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez, Ousmane Dembele and Philippe Coutinho at his disposal.
As per Mundo Deportivo, they have been strongly paired with a move for Griezmann, with the 27-year-old’s release clause set to switch back to €100m on July 1.
Speaking after France’s win over Italy, it’s claimed that the Frenchman has effectively revealed he expects an announcement to be delivered on his future before their first game at the World Cup which will see them take on Australia on June 16.
Asked whether his future will be sorted before then, he responded: “If I want that, it will be done.” The reporter then asked: “Will it be before the first game?” He replied: “Yes.”
Time will tell if it does indeed play out as suggested by Griezmann, but it’s surely the ideal scenario for him as he won’t want his club future being a distraction through the tournament.
In order to entirely focus on France’s hopes of winning the World Cup in Russia, it would arguably be ideal to confirm his future one way or the other with Atleti or Barcelona, and draw a line under the speculation.
It’s claimed by Mundo Deportivo that both clubs are hopeful of a favourable outcome for themselves, but they might not have to wait too much longer to discover what Griezmann intends on doing next season.