Diego Forlan says Inter could have targeted Antoine Griezmann in replacing Mauro Icardi

The former Inter striker, Diego Forlan, claimed that the club had told him that he could try to recruit Antoine Griezmann, from Atletico Madrid, if Mauro Icardi was leaving this summer .

According to reports, Griezmann would be unhappy in Spain after Atletico's weak exit from the UEFA Champions League against Juventus and ten points behind Barcelona in La Liga, although he apparently decided to stay at home. Spanish giants.

As reported by Football Italia, tat 39, he told ESPN: "Yes [Griezmann] remained at Atletico Madrid, he would have become a legend, but Inter will buy it once the Icardi sold. The club has said that. "

The future of Icardi has been the subject of intense speculation since he was disqualified from captaincy a few weeks ago. It's as if Inter could be happy to take advantage of the Argentine striker.

Inter would be looking for £ 90m for Icardi they would have sufficient funds to sign a contract of more than 100 million pounds sterling with Griezmann, although the Madrid man 's salary may prove to be a stumbling block.

It was suggested that the 28-year-old would be willing to accept a pay cut when he joined a team competing for major trophies such as Barcelona and it remains to be seen if Inter would be able to persuade him to take less money for a team currently at 22 points of the top 1 in Italy.

The Nerazzurri are eager to return to the top of Italian and European football and Griezmann could be excited about the opportunity to start a new era in San Siro after spending his entire career in the Spanish league.

Jose Mourinho was also mentioned as possible substitute for manager Luciano Spalletti and Griezmann was linked to Manchester United two years ago.

The Portuguese boss may not want a player as disruptive as his teammate Icardi, if he joined the club with which he had won the treble in 2010, and would see a contract involving the replacement of the 26-year-old by Griezmann excellent deal .