Should Barcelona sell Antoine Griezmann in January?

It’s a question that keeps getting asked over and over and to this point, Antoine Griezmann has always been given the benefit of the doubt.

However, the fact is that the Frenchman still isn’t covering himself in glory in the big games.

Some great goals against Osasuna and Ferencváros notwithstanding, when he’s needed to put in a shift, he goes missing.The game against Juventus in midweek was another case in point.

Lionel Messi was the only Barcelona player that looked like scoring and he at least made Gigi Buffon earn his salary on the night.

Griezmann, when given the chance, fluffed his lines. Not for the first time and it won’t be the last.

With the January transfer window just around the corner and the World Cup winner still able to command a reasonable fee, and with Barcelona having to reduce their outgoings significantly, a sale may make sense.

From a playing perspective, Griezmann is a nailed on member of the French national team squad for the European Championship next summer, but the question needs to be asked as to whether he would be a guaranteed starter given the form that he’s in at present.

That could well tip the balance as far as he is concerned, but who would have him?

If any of European football’s big names are interested they’re not going to pay big money for him, so Barca are operating at a loss already.

Atletico Madrid might be an option though it’s doubtful they could afford him, with Paris Saint-Germain the most likely at this stage. The Parisiens can accommodate him and can afford him but do they want him?

If, for reasons of cost, he ends up staying at the Camp Nou, then he either needs to produce the goods on a consistent basis, or the powers that be at Barca have to find him a role that’s both complementary to Messi’s and which allows Griezmann to get in more natural goalscoring positions.

There’s no suggestion at this stage that the Catalans want to dispense with his services, and any noise pertaining to the player’s unhappiness has come from others and not him.

Indeed, he even sought to put the record straight a few weeks ago when it was contended that he and Lionel Messi didn’t get on.

There are a handful of games to be played leading into the new year, by which time Barca will have a better idea of where they’re at. Perhaps by January 1, Griezmann will do too.

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