Barcelona could beat Liverpool to key target as they push for a huge swap deal

Posted Saturday, July 10, 2021 by Caughtoffside.com

Huge signings at elite clubs who flop will always find it impossible to find a transfer, mainly because anybody who can afford them is unlikely to pay the money when the player is out of form.

Antoine Griezmann moved to Barcelona for a reported €120m in the summer of 2018, so a return of 22 La Liga goals over two seasons is far below what was expected of him when he made the move.

Interestingly there were thoughts at the time that Diego Simeone had simply run him into he ground at Atletico Madrid and Barca were buying a player who wouldn't be able to maintain his performance levels, while he also seemed put out by playing second fiddle to Lionel Messi at the Nou Camp.

It leaves Barca in a nightmare situation just now where he's out of form and 30 years old so his value in the market has plummeted, while he's also said to be on almost £600k per week which just makes it even tougher to get him out the door.

One thing that could make sense is a return to Atleti if Barca are prepared to take a massive financial hit, and a report from Mundo Deportivo has indicated that a swap transfer involving Saul could be on the table.

This will interest Liverpool fans as the report also claims that they are pushing hard to sign the midfielder, but it's believed that Saul would like to move to Barca and Simeone is still a fan of his former player and would welcome the chance to bring him back.

It's said that Liverpool's €40m offer isn't enough and it appears that the swap deal would be a straight one while it's likely that Barca would continue to pay some of Griezmann's wage, while the French star could also take a pay cut to allow this to happen.

It makes sense for everyone as Saul could do with a fresh start and Griezmann has no place in the Depay, Aguero and Messi forward line next season, and it's suggested this has a very strong chance of happening.