Antoine Griezmann unwilling to train at Barcelona, set to be used in swap deal by the club - Reports

Antoine Griezmann is reportedly less than keen to train with Barcelona ahead of the new season, according to a tweet by Partidazo COPE.

The French World Cup winner has had a tough time at Barcelona since joining the Catalans back in 2019. Prior to his move to Camp Nou, Antoine Griezmann was a star player for club and country.

His impressive run in front of goal for Atletico Madrid and France put him in contention for the Ballon d'Or as well. The left-footed forward was heavily pursued by Barcelona, who eventually signed him for €120 million.

However, the switch to Barcelona did not go as planned. Griezmann has failed to link up with Lionel Messi and has been poor with his overall play for the Catalans.

He has scored 35 goals for Barcelona in 99 games and it is being reported that the club's patience with him has now run into the ground.

Antoine Griezmann himself has reportedly been unhappy with his time at Barcelona and is now unwilling to return to training for the new season. He is currently away on vacation after a poor display at the Euros with the French national team.

💥 Informa Paco González➡️ @AntoGriezmann no quería empezar los entrenamientos con el @FCBarcelona_es y solo quiere irse al @Atleti ❌ El Barça no había recibido ninguna oferta por el francés💰 La operación se trata de un trueque sin más #PartidazoCOPE pic.twitter.com/D24Fj8o2zc

— El Partidazo de COPE (@partidazocope) July 14, 2021

Griezmann's mood has been further irked by the fact that the club are now keen to use him in a swap deal. As reported by Partidazo COPE, Barcelona want to execute the swap by bringing in Saul Niguez from Atletico Madrid and sending Griezmann in the opposite direction.

Barcelona are believed to be admirers of Saul's footballing ability as a midfielder and feel he can lead the midfield alongside Frenkie de Jong. The deal will also make financial sense for Barcelona as it will see them lower their wage bills significantly by sending Griezmann back to Atletico Madrid.

Barcelona are keen admirers of Saul Niguez

Antoine Griezmann and Barcelona are at a cross-roads situation at the moment

Griezmann is reportedly hurt by the way Barcelona are using him to balance their books and is now keen to complete the move to Atletico Madrid quickly.

It is believed Saul is also keen to see the deal go through, leaving Atletico Madrid as the last piece of the puzzle yet to give the go-ahead. Barcelona will be hoping the swap deal does go through as they need to sell Griezmann to balance their books.

Barcelona will also be wary of the fact that should the deal fail, Antoine Griezmann is unlikely to go anywhere else, as no other club has come in with a bid for the French forward.

Barcelona and Atletico are in advanced talks for swap deal between Saúl and Griezmann! Both players gave the green light in the last hours. 🇪🇸🔄Barça and Atléti now negotiating on price tags. Barça want money included.Liverpool and Chelsea keen on Saúl if deal will collapse.

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) July 14, 2021