Barcelona and Atletico Madrid set to settle Griezmann dispute with €20m transfer
Karan Tejwani
- 5 Oct 2022 12:05 BST
- 3 min read
Barcelona’s long-standing saga with Atletico Madrid over the future of Antoine Griezmann could be coming to an end soon with the player set to sign for the capital club.
Griezmann signed a two-year loan deal with Atletico Madrid in the summer of 2021 having struggled to make an impact from the time he signed for the Blaugrana in 2019.
There was controversy this season over who had ownership of Griezmann’s contract, with Barcelona claiming Atletico Madrid had met the clause that would see them sign the Frenchman permanently.
However, the clause was that Atletico Madrid would pay a €40 million fee to Barcelona, in case he plays for at least 45 minutes in the 50 percent of the games he is available in.
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Barcelona set to receive fee
Barcelona felt they found a loophole in the deal and they were entitled to a payment this season, and they even considered legal action to get the full fee from Atletico Madrid.
However, now it seems as though the two clubs have found a compromise for his signing, and he’s set to make his stay permanent, with Griezmann set to make a €20 million move to the club.
According to sources in Spain, he is set to make his stay permanent, with a deal running until 2027, and he will accept a lower salary to remain at Diego Simeone’s team.
Antoine Griezmann has been named Atlético's Player of the Month for September. His appearances this month:
27 minutes vs. Real Sociedad
29 minutes vs. Porto
27 minutes vs. Celta Vigo
27 minutes vs. Leverkusen
90 minutes vs. Real Madrid
🤨 pic.twitter.com/UrwYV6PjBv— B/R Football (@brfootball) September 27, 2022
Barcelona were reluctant to enter a court battle, given the problems they have faced in recent times and they were also eager to avoid the possibility of Griezmann returning to the Camp Nou next year.
They are now at a point where they would rather ensure Griezmann would rather not be at the club and receive a fee, even if it isn’t the €40 million they initially agreed to when the loan deal was made.
Griezmann has done well whenever given the chance to play for Atletico Madrid this season, and he’s set to finally make more starts for them over the course of the season.
