Griezmann’s future at Barcelona will be decided after 20th July — report

Antoine Griezmann’s continuity at Barcelona remains up in the air, as the Frenchman has been faced with a lot of speculation regarding an exit in this summer window. Many obstacles would present themselves to the club if they were to keep him, especially financial.

Now, it looks like there is a key date that will bring more clarity regarding Griezmann’s situation at the club, as SPORT report that the 20th of July will be imperative in deciding his future. It is when he will return to training at the Ciutat Esportiva complex after vacation.

With Lionel Messi’s contract renewal edging closer, the Barcelona board is under pressure to ensure that they fall in line with La Liga and Financial Fair Play’s wage regulations in order to register their players. But to do so, the existing salary mass needs to be cut down massively.

Players like Griezmann, who signed for a massive fee and now command a hefty wage, therefore, may need to be offloaded. Le Petit Prince has been under scrutiny ever since his move to Catalonia and despite his slight upturn of form last season, doubt over his performance to price tag ratio still exists.

There are rumours linking the World Cup winner with a shock move back to Atletico Madrid in a swap with Saul Niguez, but there is also scepticism in the Barcelona camp over letting him go for a loss to direct rivals, much like Luis Suarez’s case.

Griezmann is currently on vacation following the Euros, but after returning on 20th July, will be in talks with Barcelona over his future. There has been no official communication from the club to him regarding an exit, but with plenty of suitors interested in the 30-year old, Barcelona will most likely value a departure of a decent offer comes in at a time of such financial difficulty.