Atletico Madrid president Enrique Cerezo has denied reports that the club are in negotiations with Barcelona over a way to end the bizarre Antoine Griezmann situation.
Griezmann is on loan from Barca to Atletico Madrid, where he is currently locked in a cycle of making second-half substitute appearances. The 31-year-old striker is a favourite of Atleti coach Diego Simeone, but he is yet to start a competitive game for the club this season due to a clause in his loan agreement.
Atletico Madrid re-signed Griezmann from Barca in September 2021 on a two-year loan deal, which would then become permanent if certain conditions were met. The agreement states that Atleti would have to fork out €40million (£35m) to sign him – but only if the France international played 30 minutes or more in upwards of 80 per cent of the matches in which he is available for selection across the loan spell.
Simeone has therefore avoided using Griezmann for longer than half an hour this season, frequently bringing him on after the hour-mark. That has angered Barca, who are reportedly threatening legal action against their La Liga rivals over the ploy.
The disagreement appeared to be on the cusp of a solution amid reports from L’Equipe on Monday that a compromise had been reached between the two sides. The report stated that Los Rojiblancos would pay Barca a reduced transfer fee of £22m, thereby ending the dispute and saving themselves £13m in the process.
That is not the case according to Cerezo, who says there are no plans to sit down with Barca chiefs in the incoming international break to resolve the situation. "Neither have we met with Barca, nor is there news that we are going to meet,” he said. “The Griezmann issue is very clear. There is nothing. If an agreement has to be reached, it will be reached, but everything remains the same.”
He also defended Atleti’s tactic of bringing on Griezmann after 60 minutes. "Simeone is the best coach we can have and he knows very well what he is doing,” he said. “If players are changed it is because they are tired or injured [in order] to win."
Griezmann, who scored 133 goals in 257 appearances for Atleti before moving to the Nou Camp in a controversial transfer back in 2019, has been on form this season despite the limitations on game time. He has scored three goals so far this season, helping Simeone’s side to a 3-0 win over Getafe on the opening day of the season and netted the winners against Valencia and Porto.
Reports in France suggested that Griezmann is desperate for a solution to the problem as he battles for a place in his country’s squad for the upcoming World Cup. However, publicly at least, he is backing Atletico Madrid and Simeone’s handling of the situation.
"It is what it is, it’s out of my hands. [I'm] grateful to God for being here,” he said after the 2-1 win over Porto on September 7. “My family is happy, I of course want more, but I am going to give everything I have in the minutes I have. I feel like a man of the club, I am happy here and I only want to play here and give everything for the club, for Cholo and for the fans."
