Barcelona are reported to have reached an agreement to sign Atletico Madrid forward Antoine Griezmann at the end of the campaign. According to Le10Sport, the Catalan giants have a ‘deal agreed’ with the France international ahead of a proposed move for his services next summer.
The 26-year-old has transformed into one of La Liga’s leading forwards after having contributed 20 goals in each of his last four seasons. As a result, his reputation has upped a notch over the past 18 months with interest from several elite clubs.
As per Le10Sport, Ernesto Valverde’s side are leading the pursuit of Griezmann next summer as they are prepared to trigger his £90m release clause. The Catalan giants are said to be looking to bolster their forward options, and Griezmann’s valuation is considered affordable when compared to the £198m fee received from Neymar’s sale to Paris Saint-Germain earlier in the summer.
Griezmann was initially expected to seal a move to Manchester United during the previous transfer window, but the move could not materialise with the Frenchman signing a new contract after Atleti’s transfer ban was withheld.
The move has not affected the Red Devils in any way as their alternative signing Romelu Lukaku has turned to be hugely successful in a short span of time, contributing 11 goals in 17 matches in all competitions.
Ousmane Dembele was picked as the heir to replace Neymar in the summer, but his promise has been shortlived with a hamstring injury hampering his progress at the start of September.
The former Borussia Dortmund attacker is likely to make his first-team comeback between December and the turn of the year, but the Catalans appear to be planning for the future with Luis Suarez, in particular, struggling for form this campaign.
Suarez has netted just three goals in 14 outings for the Blaugrana this campaign, and this has posed questions over whether the 30-year-old is the right choice to lead the line for Valverde’s men in the long-run.
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