Lionel Messi phoned Antoine Griezmann to ask him to sign for Barça | OneFootball

Antoine Griezmann has been convinced to join Barcelona this summer by a telephone call from Lionel Messi, according to reports in Spain.

Spanish outlet AS claim Griezmann has been somewhat hesitant to tell Atlético Madrid he intends to leave the club this summer, and the Rojiblanco board even made a last ditch attempt to keep him for at least one more year with the offer of a new contract last week.

But Messi is understood to have contacted the Frenchman to tell him they are waiting for him with open arms in Barcelona, and the 27-year-old has now decided that his next destination will be Camp Nou.

Barça would like to have the transfer wrapped up before the World Cup gets under way on 14 June but Griezmann’s €100m release clause won’t actually come into effect until 1 July meaning if the Catalans want to sign him sooner, they will have to negotiate a deal with the Madrid outfit.

Atlético’s extreme reluctance to sell to the Blaugrana means talks are unlikely to run smoothly, but Sport claim personal terms have already been agreed with Griezmann’s sister, who is also his agent.

According to their sources, the former Real Sociedad man will sign a five-year deal worth €15m net per season, plus bonuses and a hefty signing on fee.

However, there is also a rumour that Real Madrid could put the cat amongst the pigeons with an offer of their own.

According to AS, Cristiano Ronaldo has told Madrid president Florentino Pérez to sign both Griezmann and Atlético goalkeeper Jan Oblak this summer, and there’s speculation Los Blancos would be willing to make a substantially better contract offer than the one currently on the table from Barcelona.

At the moment, it seems the player’s preference is to join Barça, but maybe a phone call from Ronaldo could just be enough to turn his head.