Griezmann Could Leave FC Barcelona For Inter Milan In Lautaro Martinez Swap Deal, Claims Report

This isn’t the first time Antoine Griezmann has had his name linked to a sensational exit from FC Barcelona.

His club severely hit by the coronavirus pandemic and its effects on revenue, the Frenchman has been rumored to be a part of a swap deal which would see Neymar return to Catalonia and the 29-year-old roll up at the Parc des Princes.

Resigned to losing their man, PSG would apparently prefer to focus their energies on keeping Kylian Mbappe from heading to Barça’s bitter rivals Real Madrid with a view to “Frenchifying” the Ligue 1 giants.

By boasting two members of Les Bleus’ Russia 2018 World Cup-winning hero squad on the front line, who are also close friends, this could be achieved easily. And at the same time, the Brazilian often viewed as a mercenary by fans is moved back to his first European outfit, as a swansong for the embattled president Josep Bartomeu in the final year of his mandate.

Talk of that particular deal has died down in the last couple of weeks, however, as Griezmann made a plea for the iconic number 7 Blaugrana jersey. But at the beginning of this week, he has become the subject of transfer buzz yet again in relation to the capture of the Catalans’ other South American crack target.

According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, as relayed by MARCA in Spain on Tuesday morning, the Argentine’s employers Inter Milan are interested in Griezmann and could propose the kind of swap that Bartomeu has suggested will become the norm in a post COVID-19 landscape once soccer returns.

Valued at $121mn through his release clause, the striker known as El Toro (The Bull) is slightly cheaper than Griezmann with his $131mn price tag, though there has been previous gossip from the likes of SPORT that Barça would be willing to put their one-season wonder on the market for anything north of $110mn this summer.

If Neymar can indeed be recaptured, and this agreement with Inter can be struck, there is no longer any need for Griezmann to either man the left wing or the central role that would be occupied by a rehealed Suarez or his long term successor Martinez.

In order to save face and acquire both of the stars that were promised to fans, there is perhaps a strong chance that sporting director Eric Abidal and his boss Bartomeu will budge and entertain such a suggestion by the Serie A outfit.

To keep Lionel Messi – who plays alongside Martinez in the Argentina national team and is a close friend of Neymar’s that has failed to gel with Griezmann – happy, it would certainly be a step in the right direction.