Premier League Arsenal have reportedly emerged as contenders to sign Antoine Griezmann from La Liga giants Barcelona this summer.
Antoine Griezmann seemed to wait for years before his Barcelona dream came true. But is the Frenchman set for a rude awakening, just one summer on from a £107 million move which catapulted him into the top six most expensive footballers of all time?
To suggest that the one-time Atletico Madrid talisman has flopped at the Camp Nou would be to have no sense of perception.
Griezmann has not, in any stretch of the imagination, been the expensive disaster that many have spent the entire season lambasting in their droves.
But nor has he been a roaring success worthy of that £100-plus price-tag. He has toiled at times, shunted into a supporting role after years as Atleti’s main man, netting just eight times in 26 La Liga games.
And you always got the feeling that Lionel Messi would have preferred to see Neymar make his long-awaited return rather than be joined in attack by the pony-tailed Frenchman.
According to Sport, Barcelona have put Griezmann up for sale as they look to avoid a financial disaster created by the COVID-19 crisis. The 29-year-old could even be sold at a loss, though a difficult debut season in Catalonia is unlikely to put off any suitors.
Arsenal are one potential destination, Sport adds. And you’d imagine that this is a deal that would get Arsene Wenger, one of Griezmann’s biggest fans, smiling from ear to ear.
“Griezmann for me is one of the candidates for the Ballon d’Or,” the legendary Arsenal boss once told Konbini.
“In Spain, he is not far from Ronaldo and Messi.”
Griezmann thrived as the undisputed king of Atletico. You get the feeling that he would enjoy a similarly exalted status if he swaps Barcelona for the palace that is the Emirates.
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