With the performance he has had, critics were left with the impression that the time of Antoine Griezmann with F.C. Barcelona would be coming to an end soon. The French football player was a name most saw in transfer talks with Barca, hoping to recover some of the hefty investment they made on Griezmann.

Probably aware that no club would be willing to deal for him at a high price, it appears Barcelona decided to stay the course and keep the 29-year-old player. It will be recalled that Barca paid a huge $135 million to get him to their side from Atletico Madrid. Barcelona was hoping to make the most out of Griezmann, who would be good for 20 to 25 goals per season. Those expectations did not materialize this season with Griezmann accounting for only 14 goals and four assists in 37 games.

However, it seems Griezmann has shown some signs of life. That was in display recently when Barca played Villareal. Barcelona won, and the French player was fielded alongside Luiz Suarez and Lionel Messi. He showed better form, and this was singled out as one of the reasons why Barcelona may have changed its stance on Griezmann, L'Equippe reported.

Griezmann's ability to blend in with the system of Quique Setien was severely questioned all-season long. His inability to show that he could replicate his known scoring prowess raised rumors of a possible transfer. Despite his struggles, there were several teams interested in taking in the French player. Among those linked to him include Inter Milan and PSG. However, he was seen more as a bargaining chip with Barca eyeing big-name players.

In the case of Inter, Griezmann would have been used in a deal involving Lautaro Martinez. For PSG, Neymar was reportedly the target in a player-plus-cash scenario. But as most know, these were scenarios that could have made sense if clubs were not dealing with the financial stress brought in by the COVID-19 pandemic. Rather than invest heavily, most are looking to renew the deals of their current players or target players with an affordable contract in the market.

Griezmann has fewer things to worry about for now. He still needs to deliver and show he is worth the hefty investment that Barcelona made. If he continues to struggle, transfer rumors involving him may be up in the air again by next season. If the financial situation of clubs improves by then, a transfer could still happen next summer.