Atletico Madrid appear to have come out on top of their battle with Barcelona over Antoine Griezmann.  Fabrizio Romano is claiming that a deal to keep Griezmann in the Spanish capital has been agreed and should be announced soon.

Barca manager Xavi has also confirmed the transfer during a press conference on Saturday.  “The club tells me that they have reached an agreement, but it is not official,” said Xavi.  “If there is an agreement, it means that all parties are happy.  I wish the player the best.”

Atleti Griezmann transfer saga

Griezmann was previously in a very odd situation with Atleti.  The France international moved back to manager Diego Simeone’s team last summer in a loan transfer with a possibility to make the deal permanent if Griezmann made a certain number of starts.

Simeone has regularly chosen not to start Griezmann and rather utilize him as a late substitute.  The move by the Argentine was an attempt to avoid paying the mandatory $40 million fee to make the transfer permanent.  

Although Barca previously threatened a lawsuit over the deal, it seems as if Atletico Madrid‘s Simeone has outsmarted the system. Romano has stated that the new agreement for the player will be about $20 million with extra add-ons also in the mix.

Despite his lack of playing time, Griezmann has performed fairly well during the current campaign.  He managed three goals and an assist in just over 400 total minutes on the pitch heading into the weekend’s match.  His very late winner against Porto in the opening Champions League group stage match has without a doubt been the highlight of the club’s season.

Barca previously paid Atleti about $132 million for Griezmann in the summer of 2019.  Colchoneros now get the player back for just a fraction of the cost. 

Griezmann was in the starting lineup for Atleti’s league game against Girona on Saturday.

Photo credit: IMAGO / ZUMA Wire