Barcelona Remove Philippe Coutinho As Club's No.7 And Hand Shirt To New Player

Griezmann tried to take the No.7 shirt at the start of last season following his mega £107.6 million transfer from Atletico Madrid.

But the Spanish FA blocked his request as they do not allow players to have more than one number in the same campaign.

He inherited the No.17 shirt with Coutinho donning the No.7 shirt. The Brazilian went onto complete a loan move to Bayern Munich, spending the 2019/20 term in Germany.

But, ahead of the new season, Barcelona have handed the No.7 shirt to Griezmann who called it an "honour" on social media.

He also thanked Coutinho for giving up the shirt.

On Twitter, he wrote: "An honor to wear the 7 at Barça!

"I want to thank @Phil_Coutinho, who besides being a great player is a great companion."

Griezmann, who wore the No.7 shirt at Real Sociedad and Atletico Madrid, endured a difficult debut campaign at the Camp Nou.

He made 48 appearances in all competitions, scoring just 15 goals as Barcelona went trophyless.

Coutinho, meanwhile, has been the subject of intense transfer speculation with the 28-year-old heavily linked with a return to the Premier League.

But Ronald Koeman wants him to be a part of his squad for the 2020/21 season.