£54m World Cup winner linked with Anfield switch Transfers
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£54m World Cup winner linked with Anfield switch

£54m World Cup winner linked with Anfield switch

World Cup winner and Barcelona striker Antoine Griezmann is free to leave Barcelona this summer.

That is according to El Gol Digital who reports that Barcelona are willing to cut ties with the player. This may come as a shock as the Catalan club signed Griezmann for £117m just two years ago.

However, Barcelona are not in the greatest shape financially due to the COVID-19 pandemic stopping fans from entering stadiums. So this is forcing the club's hand in having to sell before they can buy.

Interestingly, this is where Liverpool come in, according to the Spanish outlet. They state that the 2019 Champions League winners have an eye on the situation with a reduced fee a real possibility.

Barcelona's French midfielder Antoine Griezmann celebrates his team's second goal during the Spanish Super Cup final football match between FC Barcelona and Athletic Club Bilbao at La Cartuja stadium in Seville on January 17, 2021. (Photo by CRISTINA QUICLER / AFP)
Barcelona's French midfielder Antoine Griezmann celebrates his team's second goal during the Spanish Super Cup final football match between FC Barcelona and Athletic Club Bilbao at La Cartuja stadium in Seville on January 17, 2021. (Photo by CRISTINA QUICLER / AFP)

The 2018 World Cup winner's value is currently around £54m which is over half of what Barcelona originally paid for him.

However, at the age of 30, his better years may be behind in with Liverpool looking to bring in younger players. As we have seen with FSG since they have arrived at the club, it is very rare to see them signing a player of that age, unless the price is right.

Not to forget the wages that Griezmann currently receives at Barcelona make this deal a no-go. With the attacker earning €881,423 per week at the Nou Camp. Even with a pay cut he simply can not earn more than Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk, given what they have done for the club.

If there is one man who can get the best out of Griezmann it very well could be Jurgen Klopp but age and price make this a tough deal to do.

Would Griezmann fit into Liverpool's front three/four?

The logical answer to this question is no! At the age of 30, the feeling is Griezmann offers nothing more than what we have.

The Frenchman has played predominantly through the middle or down the left-hand side of Barcelona's attack. In those positions, he has 20 goals and registered 16 assists in 51 games in all competitions.

But does that make him a better option than Sadio Mane, Roberto Firmino, or even Diogo Jota? Especially when the latter has nine goals in 18 league games despite being injured for large spells and coming on from the bench early on.

LIVERPOOL - ENGLAND - OCTOBER 27 2020, Diogo Jota celebrated his goal in a 2-0 win against FC Midtjylland in the Champions League Group stage. Photo by Goal.com)
LIVERPOOL - ENGLAND - OCTOBER 27 2020, Diogo Jota celebrated his goal in a 2-0 win against FC Midtjylland in the Champions League Group stage. Photo by Goal.com)

The hope is that Sadio Mane will return to his form of last season given that he will a full summer to rest and prepare for pre-season.

Even with Roberto Firmino, Jurgen Klopp still has faith in the Brazilian forward due to his pressing game, and no one not even Griezmann is good enough to push the Brazilian out.

His age added with the quality that Liverpool has upfront would see Griezmann become a bit-part player, an expensive one at that.

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