Outside of Jadon Sancho leaving Borussia Dortmund for Manchester United, it’s mostly been a pretty dull summer transfer window, generally, overall. But Manchester City will make a big move at some point, and they will almost certainly sign a big money striker to replace the departed Sergio Aguero.
That could be someone from Aguero’s new team, FC Barcelona, and we’re speaking of course of Antoine Griezmann, someone who checks all the boxes.
Barca need to cut costs and shed salary in order to be able to pay Lionel Messi and be up to code with FFP. Griezmann seems like a prime candidate to be offloaded, and over the weekend we saw reports claiming that Pep Guardiola himself had contacted the Frenchman forward about a potential move.
However, now Sport is saying Griezmann actually wants a return to Atletico Madrid, where he enjoyed the finest form of his career. Griezmann just hasn’t been able to duplicate that kind of success at the Catalan club since moving over in 2019 for €120m.
Chelsea and Manchester United are said to be keen as well.
While City are looking to replace Aguero, it also means a chance for Gabriel Jesus to now take the position and grab it by the scruff of the neck. If he stays put that is. Tuttosport claims that Juventus want to sign the Brazilian.
If that is the case, and Gabriel Jesus does bolt, well then City will really need to step up their efforts to go and get Erling Haaland or Harry Kane.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank, partnered with News Now. Banks, the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry,” has regularly appeared in WGN, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune.