Barcelona boss Ernesto Valverde has called on his fans of his side not to whistle Atletico Madrid forward Antoine Griezmann on Saturday night.
The Frenchman rejected a move to the Catalan giants last summer in favour of penning a new long-term contract at Los Rojiblancos, and travels to the Camp Nou for the first time since that episode.
“I don’t want our fans to focus on opposition players with whistles, I want them to support our team,” Valverde told reporters, as cited by El Mundo Deportivo.
“I do not like it when players are whistled or abused at a match, supporters should be there to support their team and not anything else.
“Our line-up? Ousmane Dembele is still injured, he is not available. But we will not be influenced by the game against Manchester United on Wednesday.”
A report in El Mundo Deportivo last week outlined how Griezmann’s ‘proven quality and fixed price of €120m’ – relating to the forward’s release clause – is why the Blaugrana are interested in a summer deal.
The Frenchman does have a release clause in his new contract, that drops from €200m to €120m at the end of the current season, and that may tempt the current La Liga leaders to return with a second bid.
Griezmann has netted 19 goals this campaign for Diego Simeone’s side.
