Atletico Madrid set to trigger €40 million buy option for Barcelona forward

Barcelona could be poised to get Antoine Griezmann off their hands permanently in the summer with Atletico Madrid set to trigger a €40 million buy option for the Frenchman, reports ElDesmarque.

Griezmann spent two mixed seasons at Barça after arriving from the capital club in the summer of 2019, in a mega-money deal. Having failed to live up to the billing, the 31-year-old was allowed to return to Atleti last summer as the Catalans sought to trim their wage bill.

The French international has not exactly been tearing it up back at the Wanda Metropolitano. In fact, the forward has been bogged down by injury issues.

Despite that, he has shown there is still life in him, with some convincing displays, helping Atletico reach the Champions League quarter-finals. So far in his second stint with Los Rojiblancos, Griezmann has scored eight goals and set up five more in 25 appearances.

As per the terms of the loan deal, Atletico Madrid would trigger the €40 million to-buy option for the 2018 FIFA World Cup winner if he played at least 50% of the matches for which he was fit and available.

And, as per the report, Griezmann, at this point in the season, is more than fulfilling those requirements, having been involved in 66% of the games that he has been available for selection.

And, unless something changes drastically between now and the end of the season, Diego Simeone’s side will likely comply with the clause, in turn triggering it and making the Barcelona superstar’s transfer permanent, for a fee touted to be around €40 million.

Such a move seems to be the best-case scenario for all parties involved. Atletico will get a world-class player who still has plenty left to offer, Griezmann continues to play for a team where he enjoys the faith of the manager and the fans while Barcelona will cut their losses with the Frenchman.