Barca have given a strong message to forward Antoine Griezmann that he will remain a vital part of the team next season, according to a report.<\/p>\n
The French forward started his stint at Barca with an underwhelming debut season in after his move from Atletico Madrid but in the aftermath of the pandemic lockdown have had a bit of a tough time struggling to maintain his form for various reasons. Indeed, reports even emerged claiming that Barca, who need to raise funds this summer, could sell the striker.<\/p>\n
Speculation over Griezmann\u2019s future ran rampant especially after the recent 2-2 draw with Athletico Madrid, after Quique Setien only brought the forward on with a minute to go against his former side, despite the match being level then at 2-2.<\/p>\n
However, according to L \u2018Equipe, Barcelona \u201cswept away\u201d any doubts over his future in talks on Tuesday. Griezmann was flanked by his representatives and faced Barca\u2019s top officials.<\/p>\n
The newspaper says sporting director Eric Abidal said to Griezmann: \u201cWe count a lot on you.\u201d<\/p>\n
The talks came after Griezmann\u2019s family members hit out at the club\u2019s lamentable treatment of the 29-year-old. Following\u00a0the draw with Atletico, his brother Theo said he \u201cfelt like crying\u201d.<\/p>\n
His father, meanwhile said: \u201cIn order to apologise you first need the the keys of the lorry and that is not the case, because he is simply a passenger.\u201d<\/p>\n
Griezmann and the team\u00a0responded emphatically to the 2-2 draw with Atletico by handing Villarreal a massive 4-1 thumping last weekend, where Griezmann played up top with Luis Suarez, scoring a fantastic chipped goal, with boss Setien expressing his delight at his side\u2019s comeback performance.<\/p>\n
\u201cI felt truly satisfied with the performance and I\u2019m sure the players did too because they played a great game and enjoyed themselves,\u2019 Setien said (via the Daily Mail.<\/p>\n
\u201cI would like to play like this in every game but it\u2019s not an exact science. Every game is different but today we did everything right.\u201d<\/p>\n
However, the result did nothing to close the gap between Barca and Real Madrid, which remains four points. Barcelona\u2019s next two games see them face Espanyol and Valladolid. The club\u2019s final home game of the season comes against Osasuna, before a trip to Alaves ends the campaign.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"