Barcelona manager Xavi has confirmed that the club have agreed to sell Antoine Griezmann to Atletico Madrid on a permanent deal.
The French striker joined Atlético last season on loan. The deal also allowed for a €40m buyout clause that will kick in if the player reaches a certain number of minutes on the pitch.
From the start of the season, Simeone tried to avoid this clause by keeping Griezmann on the bench.
But the Catalan club have finally reached an agreement to reduce his wage bill by selling him for a transfer fee of €20m with a total of €4m in add-ons.
His time in other clubs
Griezmann will always be counted as one of the biggest failures in the history of Barcelona. He signed from Atlético for a reported fee of £108m in 2019 after plotting major drama the previous year.
Griezmann came through the Real Sociedad youth system and impressed top European clubs with his skills and speed. He scored 46 goals in 180 appearances for the first club of his senior career.
He was sold to Atlético after the Madrid club decided to pay the €30m release clause in 2014. The French star rose to fame with Diego Simeone. He put in some amazing performances while playing for Atleti scoring 94 goals in 180 appearances.
Disastrous spell in Barcelona
But the Frenchman never reached the form of his previous club. He barely managed to get 35 goals and 17 assists in 102 games for the Catalan giant. In 2021, Barcelona decided to send his failure on a two-year loan deal to his former club.
This was confirmed by Xavi during the press conference on Saturday prior to the match against Celta de Vigo. The Spanish coach spoke: “The club tells me that they have reached an agreement, but it is not official. If there is an agreement, it means that all parties are happy. I wish the player the best.”
Barca were very interested in getting rid of Griezmann’s high salary at all costs. The winner of the World Cup has no place in the current Barça squad. So he was desperate to leave the Catalan club permanently to start for Atlético after making limited appearances due to an unusual contract clause.
According to MARCA, the striker’s contract will last until 2026, and he has agreed to reduce his salary to reunite with his old club. Transfer guru Fabrizio Romano has also confirmed the news.
Barcelona is currently second in the LaLiga table with 19 points from 7 games. Tomorrow they will face their Catalan rival, Celta de Vigo, at the Camp Nou in the next league match.
