How Atletico Madrid can solve their €40m Griezmann problem
Cameron Smith
- 22 Aug 2022 16:58 BST
- 3 min read
Atletico Madrid find themselves in a unique situation regarding the future of Antoine Griezmann.
The Frenchman left Diego Simeone's side to join Barcelona in 2018, but returned last summer on loan in order for the Blaugrana to ease their bloated wage bill.
The former Real Sociedad star remains on loan at Atletico Madrid, after signing a two-year loan deal in 2021, but could be set for a difficult season spent watching from the bench.
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That is because of a clause put in his Atletico Madrid contract by his parent club Barcelona.
According to Spanish outlet Revelo, if Griezmann plays 50% of the minutes he is available for, Atleti will trigger a buy clause and will be forced to sign him permanently for €40 million.
If Griezmann doesn't play 50% of the minutes he's available for, then he will return to Barcelona in 2023, where he will have one year left on his deal.
While Atleti believe his salary would be too much if they were to sign him permanently, Griezmann reportedly wants to play as much as possible in preparation for the World Cup - a tournament he may not feature heavily in if he's only used as a substitute by Simeone.
What can Atletico do?
It remains to be seen whether Griezmann will hit the quota for 50% of his available minutes, but the early signs suggest that Atletico don't want to purchase on a permanent deal again.
The France international has featured in both of Atleti's opening two league fixtures, but was a substitute in both, coming on with 28 minutes left against Getafe, a game in which he scored, and Villarreal. Joao Felix and Alvaro Morata were preferred in the two games.
If Atleti play Griezmann for 30 minutes or less each game, then the buy-clause won't be activated and Barcelona will not receive much-needed cash.
The Madrid-based club could attempt to negotiate with Barcelona and lower the boy clause, like what happened with Aston Villa and Philippe Coutinho earlier this window.
But if not, they will either have to pay the fee or continue to use Griezmann in a limited capacity. The Frenchman has already reduced his wages by 50% at Atleti, and the club have reportedly proposed further 30% reduction should he join permanently, which would make the €40m fee far easier to stomach.
