End of a grotesque situation for Antoine Griezmann. The French international (110 caps, 42 goals) is again, since Monday, a full player of Atlético de Madrid, who has reached an agreement with FC Barcelona to exercise the purchase option that accompanied his loan in the Spanish capital. According to the figures specified by the president of the club blaugrana Joan Laporta, this was lowered from 40 million euros to only 20, with 4 million bonuses.
It is therefore the end of a disabling soap opera for the French striker, who had seen his playing time seriously eroded since the start of the season. The reason: a clause in his contract stipulating that if Griezmann played more than 50% of the matches where he was available during the loan period, the Colchoneros had to exercise the purchase option. Wishing to renegotiate this purchase option with the Catalans, the people of Madrid had therefore decided, since the start of the season, to have Griezmann play a limited number (usually just under 30) of minutes per game.
Now linked to his former club, with which he already shone between 2014 and 2019, until 2026, Antoine Griezmann will therefore be able to recover normal playing time and, FC Barcelona, a small part of his bet on the champion of the world, recruited in the summer of 2019 against 120 million euros. Joan Laporta also clarified that if Atlético were to sell Griezmann, the Madrid club “will pay the difference” between the new agreed amount (20 + 4 million) “up to 40 million, i.e. the amount initially provided for in the contract”.
After a rather average 2021-22 season (8 goals and 7 assists in 39 games), Antoine Griezmann started off on a timid basis due to this reduced playing time (11 games, 3 goals, 2 assists in 466 minutes) . Just over a month from the World Cup, this development in the situation of number 7 of the Blues is more than welcome.
