Antoine Griezmann prioritizes staying in Barcelona by considering a pay cut
French forward Antoine Griezmann has been in the midst of a lot of speculation over the past few weeks. The Barcelona star was expected to partake in a swap deal that could have seen Griezmann return to his former club with Atletico Madrid's Saúl Ñíguez arriving at Camp Nou.
After not reaching any agreement on that deal, Barcelona are now looking around other avenues to sell Griezmann. The Catalonian club is aware of Antoine Griezmann's current valuation. He belongs to a rare mold of players who manage to grasp the high octane style 'tiki-taka' that FC Barcelona plays so effortlessly.
The Frenchman has always been a prolific threat to the opposition, but since becoming a Culer, he has learned new traits that make him all the more deadly. The World Cup winner has been impressive since his integration into the Blaugrana strip. He has 52 goals and assists in 99 games for Barcelona.
Griezmann has been a playmaker alongside Lionel Messi. Their partnership has conjured some of the best attacks with rapid fluidity near the opposition's box. The versatile forward is well equipped with his dominance over different attacking positions that make him an ideal fit for any manager.
He is a selfless player who puts the team in front of his personal motives. That nature was on full disclosure throughout the previous season. Due to the qualities that Antoine possesses, he has become one of the most profitable assets for the club now strictly from a financial standpoint.
Griezmann makes Barcelona reconsider
Since the start of this transfer window, Barcelona has managed to pluck some of the very best players from free agency. Players like Sergio Agüero, Eric Garcia, and Memphis Depay were all brought in for free. The approach was exceptional, but in reality, it was more of a necessity for the club.
Club president Joan Laporta inherited the burden of financial mismanagement at the inception of his presidentship. The club has drowned due to heavy debts of over a billion euros. For the day-to-day functioning at the club, the management has taken a loan of around half a million euros during this financial crisis.
The idea of selling Griezmann is out of a necessity to balance their already distorted wage bill. The France international was used as fodder to make a crucial sale that would help the club get rid of his incremental annual contract. The funds from the sale would also help Barcelona re-sign their premier star, Messi.
As per recent reports from Diario Sports, Griezmann is only interested if a move can materialize exclusively to his former side Atletico Madrid. The player is reluctant to leave otherwise. Reuniting with his former boss Diego Simeone at the Wanda Metropolitano Stadium is the only thing he is ready to consider at the moment.
The 30-year-old Griezmann is not interested in leaving for the Premier League. However, he is willing to sit down and talk about taking a pay cut to remain at Camp Nou for next season. He expects the club to ponder over his two options and reach an agreement soon so that he can focus on the season.
Also Read: Fabrizio Romano's Transfer Roundup: Arsenal's plans for midfield, Update on Barcelona's plans for Griezmann and more