Antoine Griezmann scored the winning goal for Atlético Madrid in Valencia on Monday night, but his transfer clause agreement with Barcelona could spark controversy.
Barcelona is increasingly concerned about Atlético Madrid’s approach to Antoine Griezmann, which could cost the Catalan club up to £50 million.
The France international has come on as a 62nd-minute substitute in all three of Atleti’s league games so far, but the club’s obligatory option to buy the striker from the Catalan giants at the end of this season will not be the one he plays for. It depends on the percentage of matches where he has to play non-stop for 30 minutes or more.
Diego Simeone is an avid Griezmann supporter and was a key factor in the club’s decision to re-sign the controversial striker on a two-year loan deal from Barcelona a year ago for €34 million.
Antoine Griezmann left Atleti in 2019 due to controversial circumstances, joining La Liga rivals Barcelona when his release clause was invoked in the Spanish capital.
Los Rogiblancos are struggling financially and club management tried to convince Simeone to allow Griezmann to leave the club in the middle of his loan period this summer. The Argentinian eventually won and, after a compromise, kept the Frenchman in the team.
Atleti’s £40million option to officially sign Griezmann at the end of the season hinges on him playing at least 30 minutes in more than 80% of the games available during his loan spell. From today’s perspective, he has played less than 30 minutes (62, 62, 65) in his three league games for the club so far.
About Antoine Griezmann’s Recent Match Against Valencia
In the final match against Valencia, Antoine Griezmann’s time on the pitch was slightly shorter as he came on with 64 minutes of the remaining 26 minutes of the match.
Diego Simeone limited the Frenchman’s playing time to a very specific block, nonetheless, he still manages to shine. He scored in the last 15 minutes of the opener at Getafe, while also scoring two minutes after coming on as a substitute against Valencia.
The only game he failed to impress was the home defeat against Villarreal, where Atletico had to send off a player. This meant that Atletico started the season with six points from nine, while only Real Madrid and Real Betis started with 100%.
Griezmann’s parent club Barcelona remains unbeaten on the field but continues to face struggles off the pitch.
Apart from their creative attempts to solve their financial woes, the club also clashed with the likes of Frenkie de Jong and Martin Braithwaite over unpaid wages and termination of contracts.
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