Barcelona Transfer News Roundup: Antoine Griezmann discusses future at Barca, Miralem Pjanic to Juventus on stand-by and more - 19 August 2021
Barcelona are looking to offload a few more of their players before the transfer window closes but it's not going to be easy.
Barcelona will take on Athletic Bilbao on Saturday night. The team is looking to settle down following Lionel Messi's exit. They got their season off to a good start with a 4-2 win over Real Sociedad last weekend. Club president Joan Laporta and co. are still looking at ways to trim the club's wage bill and bring it under the La Liga salary cap.
Without further ado, let's take a look at the top stories involving Barcelona from 19 August 2021.
Philippe Coutinho and Antoine Griezmann next in line to take wage cuts
Due to the terrible financial condition that Barcelona are in, their players are being asked to take wage cuts so that the club can register new signings. The club are reportedly close to announcing that senior players like Jordi Alba, Sergio Busquets and Sergi Roberto have agreed to wage cuts.
Gerard Pique is the first player to have agreed to have his salary reduced for the good of the club. According to Ara, Philippe Coutinho and Antoine Griezmann are the players next in line to take wage cuts as they are two of Barcelona's highest earners.
Both Coutinho and Griezmann were tipped to leave the club this summer. However, Messi's departure has changed the landscape at the club and the duo are now being viewed as important members of the squad.
Juventus need to offload Aaron Ramsey before they can sign Miralem Pjanic
Barcelona are still hoping that they can take Miralem Pjanic off their books this summer. The Bosnian international has flopped heavily at Barcelona since joining last summer, starting just six games in La Liga in the 2020-21 season.
According to Football Italia, Juventus have their own financial problems and cannot afford to sign Pjanic before parting ways with Aaron Ramsey. The Bianconeri have signed Manuel Locatelli from Sassuolo on an initial two-year loan deal with an obligation to buy for €35 million.
As a result, they won't have much use for Pjanic unless Ramsey leaves the club this summer. However, Pjanic wants to return to Juventus and Max Allegri is keen to reunite with the midfielder in Turin.
Antoine Griezmann wants to play 100 more games for Barcelona
Antoine Griezmann looks set to kick on at Barcelona for the foreseeable future. Speaking to the club's official website, the Frenchman laid out his plans for his future at the Camp Nou.
"I am proud and happy to have reached this figure. I hope I get to play another 100 games and carry on giving everything to make history with this club. I want to keep helping the team both on and off the pitch, in attack and defence, and enjoying being at Barca."
Griezmann has played a total of 100 games across all competitions for Barcelona since joining in the summer of 2019. He has scored 35 goals and provided 17 assists for the Catalans so far.