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Chelsea are reportedly interested in signing Barcelona forward Antoine Griezmann this summer. The Frenchman is one of the players being touted to leave the club as Blaugrana look to reduce their massive wage bill.
According to SPORT, Griezmann wants to return to Atletico Madrid but Barcelona are not keen on offering a boost to their La Liga rivals. Chelsea have shown significant interest in the forward, with Thomas Tuchel keen to bolster his attacking options this summer.
Atletico Madrid are ready to offer Barcelona Saul in a swap deal for Griezmann, with Ronald Koeman reportedly a fan of the midfielder. But the Catalan giants are reluctant to send the Frenchman to Madrid, especially after what happened with Luis Suarez.
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Chelsea, on the other hand, present Barcelona with a viable option, and the Blues are ready to sign Griezmann on loan for the 2021-22 season, with an option to buy him next summer.
Thomas Tuchel's side struggled in front of goal in the 2020-21 season, with German striker Timo Werner failing to deliver in his first season at the club. This has reportedly made Tuchel want to re-evaluate his attacking options and bring in a reliable striker this summer.
Although he had a disappointing campaign by his standards, Griezmann still managed to score 20 goals from 51 appearances for Barcelona in the 2020-21 season. The Frenchman is still seen as one of the world's premier talents and would definitely improve Chelsea if they did manage to land him this summer.
Barcelona might need to let Griezmann join Chelsea
The main priority for Barcelona this summer is to renew Lionel Messi's contract. The Argentine superstar is currently a free agent and the Catalan giants are locked in negotiations over a new deal for the forward.
However, Barcelona are being restricted due to their massive wage bill and are looking to offload a host of players in order to bring Messi back to the club.
With Griezmann being one of the club's top earners, Barcelona may have no choice but to send him to Chelsea. The Frenchman, along with the likes of Philippe Coutinho, Samuel Umtiti, Miralem Pjanic and Martin Braithwaite, are all touted to leave Barcelona this summer in order for the club to bring back Lionel Messi.
