Griezmann's potential Barcelona adventure is the next logical step for the Frenchman

There's no denying that his time at Atlético Madrid has been a roaring success for Antoine Griezmann.

Since his transfer from Real Sociedad in 2014, he has made 208 appearances for Los Colchoneros, scoring 112 times including the two he grabbed against Marseille in the final of the Europa League.

That transfer, by the way, cost Atléti just £27m, an absolute steal by today's standards for a player so influential.

The Frenchman won his first major trophy for Atlético with that Europa League triumph, and there is every possibility that it could be his last.

Speculation over his future has been circulating for more than 12 months now. He signed a contract extension last summer which dispelled some of the rumours, but his 29 goals and 15 assists this season have put him in the shop window once more.

And, of course, it is Barcelona that are reportedly sniffing around, waiting for the right time to make their move.

This may prove tricky this season, as a World Cup summer can make transfers more difficult to complete due to players focusing on their commitments to their country.

Still, the time could be right for Griezmann to move on.

---

If he wants to win more trophies, he needs to go now

Griezmann scored a brace in Atleti's Eruopa League final triumph

It took him four years to win a trophy in Madrid, and at 27, he doesn't have enough time left at the top of his game to wait another four for the next one.

Barcelona, who have just walked-away with the Spanish league title this season, would be more likely to satisfy the Frenchman's need to win more titles.

Atlético are an excellent side - Diego Simeone has built a team with an incredible work ethic and famous defensive prowess that has propelled them to a major contender in Spain and in European competition.

They are yet, however, to make that final step of securing continuous competitive success, which is the one thing stopping them from being on the same level as the likes of Manchester City, Real Madrid and indeed Barcelona.

Griezmann needs to be playing with these types of players if he wants to be remembered as one of the best players of his generation, which he undoubtedly is.

Atlético are renowned for being a defensive team, but Griezmann needs to play for a side with more attacking prowess and creativity.

Furthermore, he need a manager who would be able to trust solely in his abilities and give him a free role in which he can best showcase his talents.

Griezmann has learned all he can from Simeone, and now has to progress under a more expansive manager

Simeone is an excellent manager - his six trophies in seven years in Madrid speak for themselves, and he is a master of running the rule over a disciplined and cohesive unit of players.

What he cannot do, however, is give Griezmann the completely free role that he desperately craves, as it could be the undoing of everything that he tries to achieve tactically.

At Barcelona, he would be part of a creative attacking unit featuring the likes of Lionel Messi, Luis Suárez, Philippe Coutinho and Ousmane Dembélé, among others, and it is deployed in a unit such as this that we might see the absolute best of Antoine Griezmann.