Diego Forlan Claims Inter Told Him They Could Target Antoine Griezmann as Mauro Icardi Replacement

Former Inter striker Diego Forlan has claimed he has been told by the club they could attempt to sign Atletico Madrid's Antoine Griezmann if Mauro Icardi leaves this summer.

Reports have claimed Griezmann is unhappy in Spain following Atletico's weak exit from the Champions League at the hands of Juventus as well as being ten points behind Barcelona in La Liga, although he has apparently decided to stay at the Spanish giants.

As reported by Football Italia, the 39-year-old told ESPN: “If [Griezmann] stayed at Atletico Madrid he’d become a legend, but Inter will buy him once Icardi is sold. The club told me this.”

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Icardi's future has been the subject of intense speculation since he was stripped of the captaincy a few weeks ago with it appearing as though Inter may be happy to cash in on the Argentinian forward.

With Inter reportedly seeking £90m for Icardi they would have the sufficient funds required to sign Griezmann in a deal worth over £100m although the Madrid man's wages may prove to be a stumbling block.

There has been indications that the 28-year-old may be willing to take a wage cut if he were to join a team challenging for major trophies such as Barcelona and it remains to be seen if Inter would be able to persuade him to take less money for a side currently 22 points off top spot in Italy.

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The Nerazzurri are desperate to return to the top of Italian and European football though and Griezmann may be excited by the possibility of starting a new era at San Siro having spent his entire career in the Spanish league.

Jose Mourinho has also been mentioned as a possible replacement for manager Luciano Spalletti and Griezmann was linked with Manchester United two years ago.

The Portuguese boss may not to want a player as seemingly disruptive as Icardi in his squad, if he were to rejoin the club he won the treble with in 2010, and would see a deal which involved Griezmann replacing the 26-year-old as an excellent piece of business.