Atletico Madrid reportedly made an agreement with Barcelona that will see them sign French striker Antoine Griezmann on permanent transfer next summer. Griezmann is currently in the second year of his two-season loan at Metropolitano Stadium.
The agreement represents a conclusion to a lengthy standoff between the two La Liga giants over the terms of Griezmann’s loan with Atletico. The loan agreement had a clause that would make the deal permanent for a transfer fee of €40 million if the player was to play 45 minutes or more in 50 percent of the matches in which he’s available. However, the two clubs had opposing opinions on when the clause would kick in, with Atletico trying to use this as leverage to negotiate a lower fee.
According to multiple reports, the two clubs have avoided a potentially messy legal situation by agreeing to a fee of €25 million to make Griezmann’s transfer to Atletico permanent. The 31-year-old will sign a deal until the summer of 2026.
Antoine Griezmann hasn’t played much for Atletico Madrid this season due to the clause in his contract. In order to comply with their view of the clause, Atletico mostly kept Griezmann on the bench or brought him in as a second-half sub. The veteran played a total of 10 games in 2022-23 in all competitions, scoring three goals and adding one assist.
It is expected that Griezmann will return to the starting 11 after the deal with the Catalan club has been completed. Atletico could use his goals since they are only fifth in La Liga and already six points behind leaders Barca and Real Madrid.
