Atletico Madrid plan to exploit loophole to avoid paying €40m for Barcelona attacker | OneFootball

On September 1st 2021, Atletico Madrid officially announced that they had signed back Antoine Griezmann from Barcelona on a two-year loan deal with a purchase obligation. Close to one year has elapsed since that day and it seems like Los Rojiblancos are regretting their decision.

According to journalist Sergio Fernandez, Barcelona are aware that Atletico Madrid will not be obligated to trigger the €40 million purchase clause if they keep playing him for less than 30 minutes per game. Los Colchoneros do not intend to pay that amount as it is not financially viable for them.

Griezmann’s transfer agreement states that Atletico Madrid will have to activate the mandatory purchase clause if the player features in 50% of their matches with a minimum of 45 minutes over the two seasons.

Last season, Diego Simeone used the Frenchman in over 80% of the games which now means that the clause is close to being activated. Yet, the loophole in the deal is that Atletico Madrid can keep utilising the player ensuring that he does not play more than three-quarters of an hour.

Though the Atleti management are willing to sell the player, Simeone has been firm that he will continue to count on the 2018 FIFA World Cup winner in his plans, saying:

“I hope he (Griezmann) stays with us because of how important he is. He is adaptable to other positions and allows us to be more offensive from midfield forward. He has vision of the game and work.”

Last season, the 31-year-old made 29 league appearances for Atletico. In that duration, he scored three goals and provided four assists.