Antoine Griezmann had desire to leave Barcelona before Ronald Koeman arrived, reveals Eric Olhats

Despite signing for Barcelona under great pomp and circumstances, Antoine Griezmann has endured a tough debut season for the La Liga giants. The Frenchman was supposed to be the answer to all their problems when he arrived last summer for €120 million but struggled to fit at Barcelona. The 29-year-old only netted 15 goals in 48 appearances and was shuffled across the field by both Ernesto Valverde and Quique Setien.

That combined with his struggles for consistency has seen him linked with a move back to Atletico Madrid this summer with Griezmann himself considering leaving. The Frenchman’s former agent Eric Olhats has confirmed that and admitted that the 29-year-old considered leaving Barcelona even before the loss to Bayern Munich. However, Olhats further added that Ronald Koeman changed Griezmann’s mind and convinced him to stay at the club.

"Before the [8-2] defeat in the Champions League to Bayern , Antoine only had the desire to leave Barcelona. The reality is that Griezmann perceived that he was not part of the club's plans, that he could not continue like this," Olhats said, reported Goal.

"He was seriously studying how to leave. Then what we know happened and a conversation with Koeman reassured him. expressed his plans, because he considers him an important player for the future."