Antoine Griezmann at Atlético, it's done.
Obviously, this is not new in the sense that the 31-year-old tricolor international (110 caps, 42 goals), already passed by the Madrid club between 2014 and 2019, returned there since the summer of 2021, loaned for two seasons with FC Barcelona.
We knew that the two Spanish clubs had been discussing a permanent transfer for long weeks.
Discussions that were animated to say the least, a sweet understatement, but which finally found their epilogue last week.
Mateu Alemany, director of football for Barça, fanned the suspense last weekend, during the general assembly of the Socios of the Catalan club, evoking a transfer which will bring in 20 to 25 M€ for the Blaugranas.
The Colchoneros formalized the news on Monday.
Third top scorer
The end of a long soap opera, but also an ordeal for the person concerned, who had to deal with an ubiquitous situation and reduced playing time at the start of the season.
The loan agreement sealed in 2021 indeed stipulated that if Griezmann participated in 50% of the matches of the Madrid club during the two seasons, a purchase option of 40 M € is automatically triggered.
Atlético, who had no intention of spending this amount, therefore decided to play only 30 minutes for their striker until the derby against Real on September 18 (1-2 defeat). .
President Cerezo knew he was in a strong position, knowing that FC Barcelona could not recover the world champion's salary (36 M€/year?).
"
It's a very caricatural situation,
, raised a few weeks ago Frank Hocquemiller, image agent of Lucas Hernandez and Corentin Tolisso, for
Le Figaro
.
In his own way, Griezmann is hostage to his contract
.
He is freed.
Good news for Atlético... and the Blues
Excellent news for the main interested party, but also for his coach Diego Simeone and the coach of the Blues, Didier Deschamps.
Antoine Griezmann is indeed a part of the France team, a basic man of “DD”.
His situation could worry the Blues in view of the World Cup (November 20-December 18).
Read alsoWhy does Antoine Griezmann not play more than 30 minutes per game?
Shunned by French recruiters, the native of Mâcon learned his skills at Real Sociedad in 2005 (52 goals, 18 assists, 202 matches).
The opportunity for him to reveal himself to the eyes of the world and to justify a transfer to 30 M€ to Atlético Madrid, in 2014. The beginning of a five-season romance which saw "Grizou" invite himself to the table of the greats of La Liga and of the world.
After a first flirtation in 2018, he responded to the Barcelona sirens in 2019 for 120 M€.
The transplant never took, however, and Griezmann left Camp Nou two years later, with a record of 35 goals and 17 assists in 102 appearances and a taste of failure.
Since the start of the season, the second of his second spell in Rojiblanco, he has been gaining momentum, with so far three goals and two assists in 11 matches (466 minutes).
Figures that are only expected to climb.
Griezmann can now aim to establish his place in the history of Matelassiers, he who is no longer that far from the top scorers in the history of the club, Luis Aragonés (172) and Adrián Escudero (169).