Antoine Griezmann Could Be Used by Barcelona in Neymar Transfer This Summer

Barcelona are reportedly considering using Antoine Griezmann as part of a possible deal that would see Neymar move back to the club from Paris Saint-Germain next summer. 

According to Le10Sport (h/t Daniel Davis of the MailOnline), the Blaugrana are still keen to sign Neymar after a failed pursuit of the player ahead of the current campaign.

It's suggested that Griezmann could be included in a potential transfer as a makeweight, that despite the fact he only joined Barcelona from Atletico Madrid this summer in a £107 million move.

Griezmann recently spoke about the early days of his time at Barcelona and said it's been "difficult" for him to get to know star man Lionel Messi due to their introverted personalities; in response, Messi said that he "obviously" has no issue with the France international.

Per Davis, "it is believed that Messi also holds a close friendship with frontman Luis Suarez, following reports from Argentina that had suggested the former favoured a move for Neymar over the club's eventual big money signing (Griezmann)."

Griezmann has had a mixed start to life at Barcelona, with three La Liga goals in seven appearances so far. He showed what he was capable of doing in his first home game for the club, starring in a 5-2 La Liga win over Real Betis:

However, it's been a challenge for manager Ernesto Valverde to accommodate the France star, Suarez and Messi in the starting lineup.

At Atletico Madrid, Griezmann was played in support of a main striker, whereas his spell at Barcelona has seen him consistently used in the wide positions.

As relayed by journalist Musa Okwonga during Barcelona's clash with Inter Milan in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday, the forward struggled to link up with his team-mates:

Earlier in the campaign, Rafael Hernandez of the Grup14 fan site praised Griezmann for his application despite being used in an unfamiliar role:

Barcelona were unable to get a deal done for Neymar despite the player being keen on the move going ahead. The Brazilian, who joined PSG from Barcelona in the summer of 2017 for a world-record fee, said he "made it very clear" to the French champions that he wanted the transfer to go through.

Despite the fact Barca are seemingly intent to bring Neymar back, it would be a shock if they were willing to give up on Griezmann so soon. If he can rediscover the kind of form he showed in Madrid, the Catalan giants have one of the best forwards in the world on their books.