Man Utd and PSG boost as Philippe Coutinho ‘set to stripped of No7 shirt’ which will be given to new boy Antoine Griezmann
PHILIPPE COUTINHO could reportedly be stripped of his "No7" shirt for new signing Antoine Griezmann.
And that could push the former Liverpool attacker one step closer to the Nou Camp exit door.
Manchester United, Chelsea and even his old club Liverpool have all been linked with the 27-year-old.
And French giants Paris Saint-Germain are sure to declare their interest too - especially if they lose Neymar.
Griezmann has worn the No7 all his career, with reporting that it his his "lucky number".
And once his move to Barca finally goes through, he is expected to request the number.
That would leave the club in the tricky situation of taking the number from £142m signing Coutinho.
The Griezmann transfer from Atletico is also creating some other trouble - with his former club claiming the deal is currently "invalid".
Atletico believe Griezmann, 28, made it clear he wanted to join Barcelona long before his release clause dropped from £180m to £108m at the start of the month.
ATLETICO READY TO FIGHT
And Atletico are now ready to take legal action to make Barcelona cough up the rest of the sum - a whopping £72m.
Griezmann had been linked with both Barca and Manchester United for around two years before he finally sealed his £108m switch.
And the France international has signed a five-year deal, running until June 2024 - including a ridiculous £720m release clause.
But Atleti are ready to take their fight to the higher powers in Spanish football, with an official statement read: “We consider that the amount deposited is insufficient to meeting Griezmann’s release clause.
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“It is obvious that he committed to Barcelona before the amount was reduce
“It was also on 14 May the player announced his disassociation from the club.
“Atletico believes the contract termination took place before the end of last season, and has therefore already initiated procedures it considers appropriate for the defence of the club’s rights and legitimate interests.”