Manchester City will attempt to sign Atletico Madrid’s Antoine Griezmann this summer if they fail to prise Harry Kane away from Tottenham, say reports.
The England captain is understood to be the Etihad club’s top target as they look for a successor to Sergio Aguero, who joined Barcelona after his contract expired.
According to Spanish outlet Mundo Deportivo, Griezmann has been identified as an achievable Plan B option if it proves impossible to strike a deal with Spurs for Kane.
Pep Guardiola is a fan of the France international, and Barca’s dire financial situation means they could be tempted to cash in on the striker.
A swap deal could also be arranged, as the Catalan club are interested in the likes of Aymeric Laporte, Bernardo Silva and Joao Cancelo and would consider a player exchange.
City’s pursuit of Kane will fill newspaper inches for some time yet, with little progress likely to be made until he is finished with England duty at Euro 2020.
The unwillingness of Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy to sell his best player to a Premier League rival is well documented, so it’s no surprise to learn that City are considering other options.
Griezmann is a class act and a World Cup winner, but he turns 31 next season, while Kane will be 28 in July.
The France international has spent his entire career in Spain and isn’t coming off his best season, scoring 13 La Liga goals in 36 appearances last term.
He surely won’t be cheap, either, with another three years left to run on his Camp Nou deal, making a potential swap deal an interesting prospect.
Guardiola now has just one recognised striker in his squad, Gabriel Jesus, and it is inevitable that they will need to splash serious cash to bring in the calibre of player they want.
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