Manchester City Want To Sign $67M World Cup Winner As Harry Kane's Alternative: Report

Manchester City are reportedly planning to sign FC Barcelona forward Antoine Griezmann as an alternative for Tottenham Hotspur’s Harry Kane.

Griezmann is open to the idea of leaving Barcelona and would be interested in a move to Manchester if given a chance, reported Spanish media outlet Fichajes.

Kane and Jack Grealish have been the top targets of Manchester City in the ongoing summer market. However, the duo’s high prices have forced the Etihad club to look for options. With Sergio Aguero departed, the Premier League champions are looking for a realistic option to strengthen their attack.

Pep Guardiola has been an admirer of Griezmann, who according to the Spanish boss will be a perfect fit to complete his attack alongside Kevin de Bruyne, Bernardo Silva, and Riyad Mahrez.

Barcelona are undergoing a heavy financial crisis and looking to offload players this summer to reduce their debt. Griezmann, who won the FIFA World Cup in 2018 with France, is immensely talented but has failed to replicate his success with Atletico Madrid and the French national side at Camp Nou. Despite not being at his best, he scored 19 goals and provided 12 assists for Barcelona in the 2020-21 season, where only Lionel Messi contributed more than him for the Blaugrana.

Meanwhile, Griezmann has played three games for Didier Deschamps’ French side in the ongoing Euros 2020, against Germany, Hungary and Portugal. He has spent 267 minutes on the field, having completed five shots, scored a goal, and has had an 85% pass completion percentage. The 30-year-old forward is trying his best to retain his place in the current Barcelona squad with impressive performances in the Euros, according to Spanish publication Marca.

Even though no deal was reached between Barcelona and Manchester City regarding Ousmane Dembele’s transfer earlier, the English club is willing to make a bid for Griezmann. Manchester City are aware of Barcelona’s economic situation and want to take advantage of that to extract a deal that would favor both the clubs, the Fichajes report further claimed.

It is still unknown the value of City’s potential bid for Griezmann, who is contracted with Barcelona until 2024, the French forward won’t come cheap as his current market value is around $67 million, according to Transfermarkt.