The coronavirus pandemic is proving to be bad business for football, which applies to Barcelona and the club intends to cut losses by offloading key players and the list reportedly includes Antoine Griezmann. Only acquired summer of last year, the sale of the Frenchman is seen to recoup the cost of bringing him to Camp Nou in 2019.
The transfer of Griezmann from Atletico Madrid in the last summer transfer window cost the Catalan giants £108 million. The team wants to recover that amount and if possible earn a bit so the French star will be shipped out for the right offer.
The move is for Barcelona to soften the impact of the COVID-19 spread as the virus has caused the games to be suspended, which for the club has translated to big losses, according to Fox Sports.
To be clear, however, sending Griezmann off is proof that the forward failed to make a good impression in Catalonia. He appeared in 26 games so far and scored eight goals, which are decent numbers but the Barca board isn't clapping at all.
That's because he was a pricey acquisition and the return failed to justify the cost. There are deals being cooked up for Griezmann's and one notable scenario is a move to Inter Milan that will see the selling team getting Lautaro Martinez.
Or Griezmann can head to England as big Premier League clubs are very much keen to acquire him and they include Manchester United, Chelsea, and Arsenal. It is said that the latter has been working on a deal for the Frenchman so getting to the Emirates soon could be in the cards for him.
Fox added that if a sale will not materialize by the end of the transfer window, Barcelona is willing to offer the prized player on a loan deal. If true, this signifies the urgency on Barca's part to part ways with Griezmann.
According to Caught Offside, it seemed obvious that the France international is an ill-fit with Barcelona as suggested by the rumors that players were unwilling to work with him. It was the same case for Barca supporters.
The club is fixated on the thought of getting back Neymar and acquiring Martinez, and these are moves that Lionel Messi has been vocal about. As far as Barcelona is concerned, Griezmann is way too low on the priority list
And it appeared that the feeling is mutual. As the same report said, the French star would sure be glad not in Barca uniform.
Said the report: "Griezmann has been playing better for France because he's happier when he's with his national team."
It can be seen that for Griezmann playing for France is a fun thing to do, which something that he is not radiating playing for Barcelona.
