Antoine Griezmann, who won the 2018 World Cup as the tournament's best player, has seen his career dwindle in the intervening years. After trying to regain his form at Barcelona, the Frenchman returned on loan to Atletico Madrid, where he scored eight times and assisted on seven more throughout the previous season.
The fact that Barcelona was prepared to strengthen title rivals Atletico in order to get a trade done shows how happy they were to be rid of Griezmann and his overly expensive contract last summer. In 2021-22, Griezmann started 24 games for his La Liga team, and the Colchoneros took up the option to extend his stay for another season.
However, this term he has had a hard time breaking into the starting lineup against competition from players like Joao Felix, Angel Correa, and Matheus Cunha. In addition, the new agreement was subject to certain conditions.
How Atletico Madrid intend to avoid signing Antoine Griezmann from Barcelona
The Spanish powerhouses had anticipated collecting €40 million when Griezmann's loan to Atletico Madrid was turned into a permanent transfer next summer. However, there is a major snag with this scenario.
Whether or not the experienced striker plays 30 minutes or more in more than 80 percent of the matches in which he is eligible for selection during his loan stay will determine if Atleti exercise their option to purchase him permanently at the conclusion of this season.
So, what exactly has Diego Simeone done to cheat Barcelona out of some of their hard-earned cash? The manager of Atletico Madrid puts Griezmann on the bench and doesn't use him until after the hour mark, in the 60th minute. In fact, the Blaugrana-owned ace has featured in just 109 minutes in four La Liga matches so far.
He had earned 28 minutes in each of the league opener against Getafe and Villarreal, followed by 26 minutes against Valencia, and another 27 in the most recent game vs Real Sociedad. The Camp Nou's management likely aren't thrilled with Atleti's sneaky way out of paying them, but they have had to be inventive in order to find their way around a sea of financial problems.
