Spanish Report Claims Barcelona Have Ended Pursuit of Schalke Star as They Focus on Griezmann

Barcelona have reportedly ended their pursuit of Schalke star Max Meyer in order to turn their attention to signing Atletico Madrid's Antoine Griezmann and Gremio's highly-rated Arthur Melo. 

22-year-old Meyer sees his contract with the Bundesliga outfit expire in the summer, enabling him to negotiate a move elsewhere for the start of next season - a situation which first attracted Barcelona's interest. 

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The playmaker had been carefully watched by the Spanish giants after their international adviser attended Schalke's 1-1 league draw with Bayer Leverkusen in October, where Leon Gotetzka, Julian Brandt and Benjamin Henrichs were also of interest.

However, after missing out on signing Goretzka - who agreed to join Bayern Munich - and successfully securing Philippe Coutinho in January, Mundo Deportivo claim Ernesto Valverde now wants to add a different type of player to his ranks in the summer.  

His attention has turned to Griezmann and Arthur. With Barcelona considering activating the former's £88m release clause to add to their already potent attack. The French forward has long been linked with a move away from Atletico and could be tempted to switch allegiances in the summer. 

Meanwhile, Goal have reported that Gremio officials are already locked in negotiations with Barcelona over a deal for Arthur. However, club president Romildo Bolzan insisted that any such agreement would only see the 21-year-old make the move to Camp Nou in 2019. 

The news of Barcelona dropping their interest in Meyer will come as a boost to Arsenal as the Gunners have recently been linked with a move for the 22-year-old, and could be tempted to snap the young star up on a free deal in the summer. 

However, it will not be a straightforward deal for Arsenal as Schalke remain hopeful of extending his stay at the club, whilst Bayern Munich and Juventus are also said to be monitoring the situation.