Barça have decided they want to sign Griezmann AND Neymar this summer
After speculation the club would only be able to sign one of the world class stars, they have now decided to work on deals which could see both join Barça
Will Neymar join? Will Griezmann? If neither sign, will Barça sign someone else like Marcus Rashford? These are the questions going through the minds of Barcelona supporters. The club, for now, has maintained its silence on the matter and made no public statements about their intentions.
SPORT can reveal that Josep Maria Bartomeu's wish is to bring in BOTH Antoine Griezmann and Neymar - and both THIS summer. At the moment this is just a dream scenario so we'll have to wait and see how things plan out. It won't be easy though.
Bringing in both Neymar and Griezmann would catapult Barça's attack to the best in the world. No one else that many attacking stars in the squad. There's no doubt with both players on board it'd give Barça a major boost in their desire to win the Champions League.
Bartomeu and Griezmann have already come to an agreement over a transfer. Despite nothing being written down, both sides intend to stick to their word and complete the €120m deal once the Frenchman's close has dropped from €200m to €120m on the 1st July. This despite some players in the dressing room being opposed to the deal, as revealed by SPORT.
One of Bartomeu's ideas to win over the squad is to bring in Neymar too, someone the main figures in the team are desperate to be reunited with.
Valverde gives the 'okay'
Griezmann himself is willing to try and smooth over any resentment Barça players might have with him after deciding to stay at Atletico Madrid last season. The board believe bringing in Neymar alongside Griezmann would diffuse any potential problems. Ernesto Valverde believes he is capable of managing all the egos and he's proven that in the two years since Neymar left. Everyone is happy with the coach and believe he is capable of getting the best out of this group.
it all comes down to the FINANCES
Another important aspect of this scenario, perhaps the most important, is the cost. FC Barcelona would need to a perfect transfer window in order to balance the books after landing the two megastars.
Barça need to sell a lot of their recognised stars, who are on big wages, whilst there is still interest from other sides in Europe. Without those key sales, it'll be impossible to sanction big-money moves.
Griezmann will cost €120m and Neymar €100m plus Coutinho. The other big names the club are looking to sell are Ivan Rakitic and Samuel Umtiti. Selling those two could bring in around €200m which would make a double deal for Neymar and Griezmann possible.
Away from the transfer fees, you need to consider the impact on the wage budget. Neymar is earning €38m per season at PSG and Griezmann takes home €25m. Barça have already told both they would need to take a significant wage cut to join the team. The responses were positive as they are desperate to secure a move to the Camp Nou.
Once again this is doable if they are able to move on the likes of Coutinho, Rakitic and Umtiti who are big earners. They could even sell someone like Nelson Semedo, Jordi Alba or Arturo Vidal should a good enough offer come in for their services.
Topics with the letter
