Lionel has been vocal on his wish to play again with Brazilian superstar Neymar and work is now underway for Barcelona to make it happen. But short of cash for the expected expensive repurchase of the Paris Saint-Germain striker, Camp Nou is said to be mulling the sale of Antoine Griezmann.
The Frenchman was a recent acquisition by Barca last summer and the club paid £107 million to get him out of Atletico Madrid. It appeared now Griezmann will be moving again if indeed the reports are true that he has been labeled "for sale."
The claim was made by Guillem Balague, considered an authority in football matters in Spain, who indicated that for Barcelona to raise the needed funds for the acquisition of Neymar, the 28-year-old forward will be offloaded.
"I think it will be a possibility of getting rid of Griezmann and perhaps Griezmann will feel that is the thing to do too," the Express reported the pundit as saying.
Balague also noted that leaving the Catalan giants could serve to favor the former Atletico Madrid star as he seems unhappy with his current situation at Barcelona. The forward since transferring has only netted eight goals in 26 La Liga games.
It was clear that Griezmann was struggling to adjust with Barca's and according to Balague, that was the case with former club boss Ernesto Valverde and nothing changed when current manager Quique Setien took over. The players failed to deliver on the demands put on him since joining up with the Catalans, the expert said.
"I don't see a happy player, I see a player that ... who doesn't know what to do ... He has got a knack of doing that kind of thing, of being influential from that point of view. But you expect so much more from him," said Balague.
And it's just unfortunate that while Griezmann has the potential to make an impact over the long-term, Messi is a man in a hurry and his words matter to Barcelona. The Argentine has made it clear he wants Neymar and everything now takes a backseat.
"Neymar is a priority and that's why I'm saying the departure perhaps of Griezmann and/or [Philippe] Coutinho will help on the finances for that," said the league expert.
In an earlier report, the Express said Barcelona has been advised to ship out the Frenchman, who has been viewed by Shaka Hislop as performing below par.
"Antoine Griezmann, if I can get somebody to take over his contract ... If somehow I can, if somehow I can convince PSG or whoever to take him, I'll drive the bus myself," said Hislop, adding the forward is a problem that Barcelona will need to address soon.
