Atletico Madrid president confirms Antoine Griezmann’s continuity: “He’s important”

Speaking after the UEFA Champions League draw, Atletico Madrid president Enrique Cerezo addressed the future of on-loan Barcelona forward Antoine Griezmann.

The French forward signed for Los Rojiblancos last summer, returning to the capital club on a two-year loan deal with the club having an obligation to purchase for €40 million.

However, there have been a lot of speculations over Griezmann’s future this summer as Atletico encountered problems with his registration due to his wages.

There have even been reports claiming that the Colchoneros were looking to offload him this summer and even tried to return him to Barça.

Amidst rising speculations, Cerezo has now claimed that the 2018 FIFA World Cup winner remains an important player at the Civitas Metropolitano and will not be leaving the club.

Speaking to Movistar+, the Atletico Madrid supremo said: “Antoine Griezmann is an important player in the squad and he cannot leave.”

These statements come after manager Diego Simeone also insisted that the club had no desire to part ways with the French international.

However, Griezmann is yet to start in any of Atletico Madrid’s La Liga games so far and has been used for exactly 28 minutes in both matches.

It is being seen as a tactic to avoid signing him permanently as Atletico will not be obligated to trigger the €40 million purchase clause if they keep playing him for less than 30 minutes per game.

Griezmann has been subpar in his second stint with the Rojiblancos. In 29 La Liga outings last season, the 31-year-old managed to score just three goals and set up five more. He has found the back of the net one time already this campaign.