Barcelona To Lose $85M Superstar After Lionel Messi Amid Manchester United Interest: Report

Manchester United are reportedly preparing an offer for FC Barcelona forward Antoine Griezmann, who is the club's current highest earner.

Manchester United have conveyed Barcelona their intention to sign Griezmann, who will be the second superstar to leave Camp Nou following Lionel Messi's exit, reported Spanish outlet TodoFichajes.

Due to Barcelona's massive wage bill, the club failed to register Messi because of the La Liga rules and as a result, they were forced to let go of their legend as a free agent in the underway summer transfer window. Messi is heavily linked with a move to Paris Saint-Germain (PSG). It is understood that Messi will undergo medicals in Paris in the next 48 hours. The French side is planning to unveil the 34-year-old legendary forward at the Eiffel Tower in the coming days, according to ESPN.

On Sunday, Barcelona took on Juventus in a pre-season-friendly game, after Messi's exit. The Catalans won 3-0, with Memphis Depay, Martin Braithwaite and Riqui Puig on the scoring charts.

Manchester United are very well aware of Barcelona's financial situation and the Red Devils want to take advantage of the same to secure Griezmann, who earns around $42 million annually. He has been linked with a move away from Barcelona quite a few times over the last few weeks. It was earlier reported that Barcelona were planning to use Griezmann in a swap deal to land Atletico Madrid's Saul Niguez at Camp Nou. However, the move is difficult as the Catalans already have at least two new signings to register with the La Liga – Memphis Depay and Sergio Aguero.

Considering the uncertainty of his future at Barcelona, Griezmann has asked his representatives to look for another club ahead of the 2021-22 season, according to the TodoFichajes report.

Barcelona are valuing Griezmann, who moved from Atletico Madrid to Camp Nou in 2019 at $85 million, according to Spanish outlet Marca.com.

The arrival of Jadon Sancho has already strengthened Manchester United's attack. However, with Marcus Rashford facing an extended period of no action after it was confirmed he would undergo shoulder surgery to fix a long-standing issue, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer wants to add another striker to his squad. Especially after going trophy-less last campaign.