Antoine Griezmann – Thomas Vermaelen

Andres Iniesta doubts whether Barcelona need to sign Neymar this summer

Barcelona legend Andres Iniesta has said that Antoine Griezmann and Neymar are two of the best individual players in the world but does not believe they can play together at the Camp Nou. The Blaugrana have strengthened their attack with the arrival of Griezmann this month but there have been reports suggesting that they may also be interested in re-signing Neymar from Paris Saint-Germain.

Speaking to DAZN, Iniesta hailed the qualities of Griezmann and Neymar but admitted that he is unsure how they could play together at the Camp Nou next season, he said: “They are two of the best in the world individually, and they would be amazing signings, but it’s another question if the two are necessary, or how the team would gel, or what Barça really want.”

Elsewhere, Iniesta was asked about Eden Hazard’s move to Real Madrid and he happened to speak positively about the Belgium international, who is expected to orchestrate Los Blancos’ attack next season, he continued: “He’s a player who makes a difference. He’s extremely complete: right, left, dribbling, speed, he’s strong… he has brutal quality to be an important player for Real Madrid, and I always liked him.”

The Blaugrana are expected to depend on Luis Suarez and Lionel Messi once more next season and alongside them, Griezmann could feature in a front three. In this case, Philippe Coutinho, Ousmane Dembele among others may have to settle for a bench role and it does not make any sense to move for Neymar at the present point of time.

Still, a few departures could sort the concern and Coutinho and Malcom have been earmarked as potential candidates, who could leave the club. Malcom has been tipped to make the move to Zenit St Petersburg this summer. On the other hand, Coutinho has been linked with numerous elite European clubs but no offers have been made to land his signature to date.

Ter Stegen pays tribute to Cillessen after the Dutchman’s Barcelona exit

Barcelona goalkeeper Marc-Andre Ter Stegen has praised the professionalism of goalkeeper Jasper Cillessen following his departure from the Catalan giants. The Dutchman spent the past three seasons with the Blaugrana but he was largely the back-up shot-stopper with Ter Stegen commanding the regular role between the sticks for the league and European duties.

A tweet on Ter Stegen’s official Twitter account read: “A serious professional, good teammate and friend. I enjoyed working together these past 3 years with you Jasper, always hard work and successful memories. Good luck with your new challenge and I look forward to playing against you next season.”

Cillessen had made it clear that he would be leaving the Catalans at the end of the season, but he had expressed a concern that the club may not accept anything less than £52m to sanction his sale. However, they appear to have eventually accepted to lower the valuation and reports claim that Valencia have paid up a fee of around £31.5m for the former Ajax man.

Meanwhile, the La Liga champions are expected to recruit a new back-up goalkeeper after the departure of Cillessen and reports have claimed that Neto could be the choice. The Brazilian is set to drop down the order after the arrival of Cillessen at Los Che and he could be tempted to accept a bigger challenge with the Blaugrana this summer.

Barcelona have made two signings for the summer with Frenkie de Jong and Emerson joining them from Ajax and Atletico Mineiro respectively. They are likely to continue the spending spree with the focus on the attack and Antoine Griezmann could be one of those making the move to the Camp Nou from Atletico Madrid. Griezmann has already confirmed that he would be leaving Atleti during this summer’s transfer window.

Barcelona defender insists Antoine Griezmann is content at Atletico Madrid

Barcelona defender Samuel Umtiti has revealed that his French compatriot Antoine Griezmann is content with the proceedings at Atletico Madrid despite the constant speculation regarding his future. The France international was heavily tipped to join the Spanish champions last summer but he decided to snub their advances to sign a new long-term deal with Atleti.

Since then, things have not gone as planned with Atleti failing to compete for silverware and this has recently spread the gossip that Griezmann could pursue a fresh challenge. Amidst this, Umtiti has clarified that the forward has no sort of concerns regarding his position and remains ‘very happy’ with the happenings at the club.
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Sky Sports pundit updates on Ousmane Dembele’s situation

Sky Sport football expert Guillem Balague believes Barcelona could consider the departure of Ousmane Dembele on a temporary basis for the 2018/19 season. The French footballer has witnessed a stop-start season with Barcelona – which has been hampered by injuries – but he has still managed to make France’s squad for the summer World Cup.

Recent reports have suggested that Dembele could find himself out-of-favour at Camp Nou next term with the Blaugrana keen on acquiring the signature of Atletico’s Antoine Griezmann. As such, Balague feels Dembele could leave the Catalan giants, though it may only be on a temporary basis, he said: “My understanding of the situation is they will let him go on loan. Right now, who is going to pay 100m euros for him anyway? As I said, they will let him go on loan though.”
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