Barcelona ready to sanction attacker transfer, £17m opening offer made

Barcelona's dire financial situation could see them selling first-team players that are still part of manager Ronald Koeman's plans next season. Club president Joan Laporta is desperate to balance the books so that they can confirm club talisman Lionel Messi's new contract.

The Catalan club have been warned that they must reduce their wage bill and control their debt if they want to register Messi, who is currently a free agent. The cash strapped club are now ready to offload Antoine Griezmann, which will help them reduce their wage bill considerably.

Barcelona have raised funds by selling Jean-Clair Todibo, Konrad de la Fuente and Junior Firpo, but still remain well short of their target. They have offered to terminate the contracts of Samuel Umtiti and Miralem Pjanic, but the two players have so far refused, as it would see them leave a considerable amount of money on the table.

According to Sport, Barcelona see no alternative but to sell one of their regular starters, who will have some value on the market. Griezmann played 51 times in all competitions last season, scoring 20 goals and assisting 13, making him a key contributor to Koeman's team.

The Dutch manager, however, has added Memphis Depay and Sergio Aguero to his forward line via free transfers. Koeman is said to be willing to allow the France international to leave as he expects to play Messi and Depay behind Aguero as his forward line.

Griezmann is currently on holiday following his commitments with the French national team at the ongoing European Championship. The former Atletico Madrid forward has attracted interest from Ligue 1 outfit Paris Saint-Germain and clubs in England.

According to Spanish publication Fichajes, Pep Guardiola's side are keen on signing Griezmann, and have made an opening offer for the attacker. The Premier League champions are ready to offer defender Aymeric Laporte and €20 million to Barcelona to sign the Frenchman this summer.

The La Liga giants are big admirers of Laporte, who was part of the Spain squad that lost to Italy in the semi-final of the Euros on Tuesday. Koeman is looking to bolster his defence and the offer of Laporte plus a fee could be tempting to the cash strapped club.