Barcelona and Atletico 'very close' to reaching €20m permanent deal for Antoine Griezmann

Posted Thursday, October 06, 2022 by Goal.com

Antoine Griezmann is close to leaving Barcelona and joining Atletico Madrid on a permanent basis.

WHAT'S HAPPENING? The two sides have been renegotiating the terms of Griezmann's loan with Atletico and GOAL understands they are close to a resolution. Under the new agreement, Atletico would pay Barca €20m (£17.5m/$19.7m) plus variables for Griezmann at the end of the season. The Frenchman would also take another pay cut of around 25% in order for Atleti to comply with Financial Fair Play rules.

THE BIGGER PICTURE: Griezmann rejoined Atletico on a two-year loan in 2021. The deal included a €40m (£35m/$40m) purchase option that would be triggered if he played at least 45 minutes in half of Atletico's games this season. Barca and Atleti had disputed details of the clause which had led Los Rojiblancos to restrict Griezmann's minutes this season.

DID YOU KNOW? Griezmann's missed penalty against Club Brugge in the Champions League means he has only scored 10 of the 16 spot kicks he has taken in all competitions for Diego Simeone's side.

THE VERDICT: The agreement will bring an end to a long-running saga regarding Griezmann and should provide some relief to the forward. Griezmann has spoken of his desire for more minutes this season, particularly ahead of the 2022 World Cup.

WHAT NEXT FOR GRIEZMANN? The Frenchman and his Atletico side are back in Liga action on Saturday at home to Girona.