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.
