Ernesto Valverde Insists Barcelona Will Not Close the Door on a Move for Atleti Superstar Griezmann

Barcelona manager Ernesto Valverde has revealed he is interested in signing Atletico Madrid striker Antoine Griezmann and will not close the door on a possible deal for him.

The Spaniard has reiterated his desire to do business for the player in January, after trying to sign Philippe Coutinho and Angel Di Maria in the summer.

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Local reports claim the Brazilian is still top of the Blaugrana's wish list ahead of the next transfer window, but Griezmann is a legitimate target as well.

Griezmann is expected to leave the club soon, with Diego Costa to be registered in January after signing from Chelsea.

The forward looked all set to join Manchester United in the summer, but performed a U-turn after the Court of Arbitration for Sport upheld the club's transfer embargo. It resulted in the Frenchman staying put out of loyalty, knowing they wouldn't be able to register a replacement for him.

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Manchester United remain favourites for his signature, but Barcelona have joined the race, as have German giants Bayern Munich and the player's buy-out is set at €100m.

Valverde said, as quoted by ESPN: "Griezmann is a great player, one of the names being talked about but for now I have the players that I have.

"In the future, we will see. Of course, the club, like all clubs, is open to doing business in the January window, even though we're happy with what we already have. We're not going to close the door on anything."