Antoine Griezmann equalised to secure France a draw with Hungary
Antoine Griezmann equalised to secure France a draw with Hungary POOL / BERNADETT SZABO

KEY POINTS

  • Antoine Griezmann has given Barcelona the greenlight to sell his contract
  • The Frenchman wants to be moved to a team that could compete for silverware
  • Signing Messi to an extension is Barca's primary concern

Antoine Griezmann’s time at Camp Nou could be coming to an end faster than anyone could have imagined.

The International Business Times previously reported that Barcelona is looking into selling Griezmann in order to make room for a new Lionel Messi contract and to formally add Memphis Depay and Sergio Aguero to the payroll.

Messi’s contract with his longtime club has been a cause for concern within Barcelona.

While it’s expected that Messi will stay at Camp Nou, there’s a lot of moving parts that could suddenly find the Argentinian in a new club elsewhere.

Thanks to recent developments, offloading Griezmann’s contract may have gotten just a little bit easier.

Sources report that Griezmann is open to leaving Barcelona this summer and potentially join his former club, Atletico Madrid.

The 30-year-old striker from France left Atletico Madrid in 2019 as he was offered a lucrative €120 million ($166.9 million) offer to join Barcelona after spending five wonderful years with the club, making him the fifth-most expensive transfer of all time.

Antoine Griezmann and Kylian Mbappe train in Bucharest on Sunday ahead of France's Euro 2020 clash with Switzerland
Antoine Griezmann and Kylian Mbappe train in Bucharest on Sunday ahead of France's Euro 2020 clash with Switzerland AFP / FRANCK FIFE

Currently, Griezmann has been linked to a move to Chelsea, Manchester United and league champions Manchester City as all three English Premier League clubs are looking to strengthen their team for a solid run to the top of the table.

Mundo Deportivo reports that Barcelona and Atletico Madrid are now engaged in talks in a player swap deal featuring Griezmann and Saul Niguez.

Liverpool was supposedly in the running for Saul, but they failed to meet Atletico’s €50 million ($59 million) asking price which allowed Barcelona to make an offer for Saul.

Griezmann’s short stint with Barcelona can be described as disappointing due to the fact that he severely underperformed when given the opportunity to play.

In 71 appearances across all competitions, Griezmann only scored 22 goals--a far cry from the goal-scoring machine that he was with Atletico Madrid.

Once Barcelona offloads Griezmann’s contract, they’ll have more space to breathe economically and could finally sign Messi to a new contract.

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