Yahoo Sport 
Exclusive: Griezmann 'to replace' Real Madrid target Neymar at PSG
Paris Saint-Germain are already planning for life without Neymar and are considering replacing him with Atletico Madrid forward Antoine Griezmann, according to sources in France.
Griezmann could play his first game for a French club as a World Cup winner and improve PSG’s reputation in France should they pull off the transfer.
Griezmann has a series of French language books aimed at children and was at the same time the subject of a sympathetic documentary, Griezmann Confidentiel, released in France. Whether intentional or not, these two acts will serve as a public relations drive for Griezmann, who is not especially popular – or unpopular – in his native country.
Griezmann began his professional career in Spain with Real Sociedad, before moving to Atletico in 2014.
READ MORE: Gossip – Ronaldo’s ‘secret PSG talks’, Wilshere ‘demands a move’ – and more
READ MORE: Which Chelsea kids will Emenalo target at Monaco?
READ MORE: Wenger insists Ozil and Sanchez will not leave Arsenal in January
France go into the World Cup as favourites alongside Germany and if Didier Deschamps picks a more attacking team than he did in the qualification stage, PSG forward Kylian Mbappe and Griezmann may form the attack, meaning the pair could be reunited as World Cup winners as domestic team-mates next season. Griezmann has talked of it being a dream to play with Mbappe in the future. Mbappe’s move to PSG could also be a factor in one of the phases of the Griezmann transfer.
The Atletico forward has a 100 million euro release clause, a figure that would not normally trouble PSG due to the backing they receive from Qatar. However, PSG are on the hook for 180 million euros in the summer, when Mbappe’s loan move from Monaco is converted to a permanent transfer.
That arrangement gave them breathing space to raise funds in the interim, which is a problem compounded by the roughly 220 million euros they had spent to allow Neymar to trigger his release clause, facilitating his exit from Barcelona last summer.
In retaliation to that transfer, which followed a testy period between Barcelona and PSG when the Spanish side tried to prise Marco Verratti from France, Barcelona considered reporting PSG to UEFA over a possible breach of Financial Fair Play rules.
PSG have already been found in breach of these rules in 2014 and another transgression could be met with a limit placed on the size of their squad, or financial censure.
READ MORE: Ref shoving and groin kicking OK but diving isn’t – video bans ‘explained’
Griezmann’s arrival would allow Neymar to leave for Real Madrid and should they meet or exceed the 220 million euro price tag he arrived with, PSG would find it far easier to meet their financial requirements, even if they spent 100 million euros on bringing Griezmann to the French capital.
Neymar has cut an unsettled figure ever since his departure from Barcelona in the summer. There was an early disagreement with Edinson Cavani over who had the right to take penalties and there was a report last week that he wanted to be given the opportunities to pick and choose which games he plays for Unai Emery.
Other stories since the transfer have claimed that he already regrets leaving Barcelona and while there may be no way back to Catalonia after the move, there could be a way back to Spain.
Real Madrid have struggled to match their form of previous seasons and with Gareth Bale struggling for fitness, and Karim Benzema and Cristiano Ronaldo struggling in front of goal in La Liga, there may be an opportunity for the Galactico approach to transfers to be revived by Florentino Perez.
Real have not brought in major attacking reinforcements for a couple of seasons and the chance to bring Neymar to Madrid would be a zesty way to spite their perennial rivals Barcelona.
Warmly
The last player to move directly from Barcelona to Real was Luis Figo and while PSG might have been an interim stop gap, Neymar is unlikely to be received any more warmly should he return wearing Real’s colours.
Griezmann elected to stay at Atletico Madrid after they were punished with a transfer ban but has become an unpopular figure after a poor start to the season, which has only recently improved with goals against Roma and Levante.
READ MORE: Gossip: Real Madrid ‘want £80m Martial’, Alexis ‘to replace Neymar’ – and more
Atletico will be able to register Diego Costa in the winter transfer window following his move from Chelsea but Griezmann is not expected to leave until the summer, not least because PSG and Real would not be able to organise either transfer before then.
Manchester United retain an interest in Griezmann, as do Barcelona, but PSG are now contenders for his signature in a transfer which could help them become more popular in France, where they have been despised since their inception in the 1970s, exacerbated by their new spendthrift ways.
