Antoine Griezmann says Barcelona must complete a “difficult” transfer for Neymar before he starts contemplating an all-star attack with Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez.
Paris Saint-Germain sporting director Leonardo denied there has been a “concrete offer” for Neymar over the weekend, after Sky Germany reported Barcelona had offered £90m plus two players for the 27-year-old.
Griezmann completed his transfer to Barcelona earlier this month but the fee is still being disputed by his former club Atletico Madrid, and he expects his new team to face another challenge to seal Neymar’s return to the Nou Camp.
Asked what it would be like to have Neymar join him, Messi and Suarez, Griezmann told Sky Sports News: “We have to get it done first, because it is a difficult transfer.
“But he is a great player, he’s had a couple of injuries but is at an incredible level.
“We also have [Ousmane] Dembele, [Philippe] Coutinho and Malcom who are also important players for us and lets hope we can achieve great things with them.”
Dembele, Coutinho and Malcom were three of the players featured on Barcelona’s six-man list of potential exchange options as part of the deal to sign Neymar.
It is understood PSG are looking for more than the £198m they paid Barcelona to sign him two years ago.
But there is a willingness to make the deal happen on both sides, which would leave Barcelona boss Ernesto Valverde with the challenge of fitting four star names into his starting line-up.
“I hope I will have an important role, I want to be an important player for the team and help in whatever way I can,” said Griezmann.
“As long as I enjoy playing with my team-mates and give it all on the pitch, it doesn’t matter.”
Two years ago Griezmann admitted a move to Manchester United was “a possibility”, but he now explained he was “very comfortable” in Spain when he had the chance to move to the Premier League.
“I was having a lot of fun in La Liga,” he said. “We have one thing the Premier League does not – the sun.”
Despite United’s interest, Griezmann revealed the English club he admires most are Liverpool “because of the fans”.
“They deserve to win the Premier League, hopefully one day they will win it again,” said Griezmann.
Griezmann says he has the “best player in the world” as a team-mate in Messi, but there is another Premier League player he would still like to link up with.
“I would love to play with [Alexandre] Lacazette,” he said. “He’s a friend of mine, we played together in the national team. He’s an amazing player, has a lot of talent.”
