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What’s the story?
According to a report from the Spanish media outlet, Marca, Barcelona has identified Atletico Madrid superstar, Antoine Griezmann, as the replacement of Philippe Coutinho and Ousmane Dembele.
The Catalan giants' interest in Griezmann is no secret as Barcelona were desperate to secure his services last season.
In case you didn’t know…
With 21 goals and 10 assists in all competitions, Griezmann has been the driving force in Rojiblancos' forward line. But the Spanish giants are set to end their campaign without any trophies due to their premature exits from the Champions League and the Copa del Rey.
The Frenchman played a decisive role up front for France as they won the World Cup last year. The Blaugrana hierarchy was interested in signing the star, but Griezmann rejected them quite publicly, revealing his decision to stay with Atletico in a TV programme.
Diego Simeone recently claimed that he is not worried about the rumours linking Griezmann to Barcelona once again.
In an interview with Fox Sports, the Atletico Madrid boss said (via Marca):
"Griezmann is our captain, he is important, I am not worried at all. He has everything to continue growing. But I am not in his body, so he will see. He has two more years on his contract."
The heart of the matter
The consistent poor performances of Coutinho and Dembele's injury setbacks are major reasons why the Catalan giants are desperately looking for a proven goalscorer.
According to the report, Griezmann fits the bill perfectly as a replacement for Coutinho and Dembele. Atletico won't try to convince him to stay just like he did last season, which makes it easier for the Barcelona board to land the forward. Moreover, the Frenchman's release clause will drop to €120 million from €200 million, this summer.
Griezmann reportedly regrets rejecting the chance to feature for Barcelona this season, and he himself is open to a move in the summer. But it would be hard for him to impress the Camp Nou faithful if he joins Barcelona, due to his antics last year.
What's next?
Barcelona will next face Getafe in LaLiga on Sunday.
