The transfer of Antoine Griezmann to FC Barcelona is definitely a big failure for the player but also for the Blaugranas. After two moribund seasons, a few brilliant strokes scattered here and there, but above all two humiliating eliminations in the Champions League (Bayern Munich and PSG), a relationship that is not always obvious with the other stars in the locker room despite a transfer at 120 M€, the Frenchman found himself in a situation of failure.
After two seasons, here he is back at Atlético, the club where he had his best hours as a footballer. In the capital, he is back in color (8 goals and 5 assists in 28 games), although a long injury this winter stopped him for a month and a half. Rest assured, it will benefit from some continuity because Sport told us earlier this week that the Colochoneros wanted to continue the adventure with him. At the same time, they don’t really have a choice.
Barça must wait until 2023 to receive money on the transfer of Griezmann
Because if the purchase option is indeed 40 M€ (plus 10 M€ of possible bonuses), it cannot be exercised until the summer of 2023, reveals again Sport this Friday. This is what is provided for in the two-year loan agreement signed between all parties last year. This option even becomes mandatory if the attacker plays at least 45 minutes in 50% of the matches in which he participates. It’s off to a good start because at the moment, Griezmann has played more than one half in 20 of the 26 La Liga fixtures.
In addition to this 77% participation rate, the signed contract does not include a clause allowing Atlético to break this loan agreement after one season. Barça has done everything not to see the world champion and his cumbersome salary again, but in return, the Catalans will have to wait until 2023 to receive the transfer money. Griezmann will have been a real sporting and above all economic failure for a club in financial difficulty since the arrival of the Frenchman.
