Report: Barcelona forward does not close the door on a summer exit

Antoine Griezmann has not had it easy at Barcelona since his mega-money transfer from rivals Atletico Madrid in the summer of 2019. After an underwhelming debut campaign during which he struggled under both Ernesto Valverde and Quique Setien, the French forward did show improvement in the season gone by under Ronald Koeman.

Despite that, though, the 2018 FIFA World Cup winner is staring at an uncertain future at Camp Nou. It is no top secret that Barcelona are mired in financial difficulties and are having to cut some of their players from the squad in order to achieve a semblance of control on their wage bill. And Griezmann, who is among the top earners at Camp Nou, could be a casualty borne from the situation.

Now, an exclusive report from La Vanguardia has given an insight into the situation from the player as well as the club’s perspective.

While nobody in Barcelona is doubting the quality and the ability of Griezmann, the fact remains that getting him off the books would help them in a huge way to balance their books. As a result, the Blaugrana remain open to offers for the 30-year-old, although they are yet to receive any, despite rumblings of interest from England and Italy.

As for Le Petit Prince himself, he is keen on staying put at Barcelona and seeing out his contract that runs till 2024. However, aware of the financial situation that the club find themselves in, Griezmann is not closing the door on an exit from Camp Nou this summer. The forward would be open to leaving Barca for a club with a competitive project, while a return to Atletico Madrid remains an option.

The report, however, does add that Griezmann’s camp are insistent that Barcelona have not informed them about his sale or any potential salary cut. But they are expecting talks in the future, with manager Ronald Koeman also hinting that an exit could materialise in a recent interview.

Griezmann is currently on a holiday after his involvement in the UEFA Euro 2020 with France. The 30-year-old is expected to return to Barcelona for the pre-season on July 19th. As to whether he will be part of Barcelona’s training camp in Germany between July 28th and August 3rd, only time will tell.