Griezmann Expresses Desire To Fill Barca Strike Vacancy

Barcelona attacker, Antoine Griezmann has said that he is ready to step up as Barcelona's main striker after the Catalan club failed in their attempts to sign an adequate back-up for the injured Luis Suarez in the winter transfer window.

Barca had been trying to get a deal in place to bring in Valencia's Rodrigo Moreno, but could not match Los Che's asking price of €60 million.

The club had subsequently tried several strategies, including offering the option of a loan, but Valencia wouldn't bulge on their insistence that Barca were obligated to buy the Spaniard which the Blaugrana are not comfortable with.

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Barca's main target as a long-term successor to Suarez is Inter striker Lautaro Martinez but will wait until the summer to properly pursue the Argentine who is currently having a swell time with Inter Milan as the club tries to wrestle the Italian Scudetto from Juventus.

For now, Quique Setien's options are limited, but with Griezmann having played as a center-forward at various points throughout his career, the Frenchman claims that he can step in to fill the void if need be.

“If the club need me as a No.9, I'm here to help,” Griezmann said on Thursday. “If I'm on the left or in the middle, perfect.  All I want is to help the team.

“I'm used to playing inside - I know where to move and I have more freedom, but I'm at this club to help.”

Griezmann was on target on Thursday, scoring the first goal as Barcelona eased to a scintillating 5-0 win over Copa del Rey opponents Leganes.

It was the club's best performance to date under new coach Setien after a shaky start where they have labored to wins over lower-ranked sides likes Granada and Ibiza and lost to Valencia, but the French international believes he and his team-mates still have some way to go before the boss' methods fully sink in.

“We're trying to learn how to play from the coach,” he added. “We still have things to improve but we're on the right track.”

Next up for Griezmann and Barca is a home date against Levante on Sunday, with the hosts needing three points to keep pace with La Liga leaders Real Madrid.