Barça make secret transfer pact with Antoine Griezmann | OneFootball

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OneFootball

Dan Burke·20 January 2018

Barça make secret transfer pact with Antoine Griezmann

Article image:Barça make secret transfer pact with Antoine Griezmann

Barcelona have reached an agreement with Antoine Griezmann and the Frenchman will complete his switch to Camp Nou in the summer.

That’s according to Catalan outlet Sport, who claim that while Griezmann is far from officially being a Barça player, the player and the club have reached a consensus privately and have even agreed on a compensation penalty should the transfer fail to materialise.


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That means that should the Blaugrana decide between now and June that they don’t want to sign the 26-year-old after all, Griezmann will be financially compensated. And vice versa – if Griezmann changes his mind and opts to join another club or even stay at Atlético, he must compensate Barcelona for going back on his word.

Article image:Barça make secret transfer pact with Antoine Griezmann

But if Griezmann has agreed to make Barcelona his next club, that’s not to say his current club have agreed to sell him just yet. The striker came very close to leaving the Wanda Metropolitano last summer but Atleti’s transfer ban meant he ended up staying on out of the goodness of his heart.

However, with that transfer ban now lifted and Diego Costa joining the club earlier this month, there is less pressure on Griezmann to stay and he is highly likely to bring his four year Rojiblanco stint to an end at the end of this season.

A potential stumbling block for any club interested in his services would be his €100 million release clause, however, and Barça are reportedly hoping they’ll be able to negotiate that figure down somewhat. Their recent big money captures of Ousmane Dembélé and Philippe Coutinho – both of whom cost well in excess of €100m – probably won’t help their cause at the negotiating table though, and they may be left with no choice but to stump up the cash.

Article image:Barça make secret transfer pact with Antoine Griezmann

And in today’s market, €100m is a small price to play for a player of Griezmann’s quality. The former Real Sociedad man has netted eight times in all competitions this season and if he does become a member of Ernesto Valverde’s squad next term, he will make an already fearsome attack even more terrifying. Just imagine the incredible potential of a team featuring Griezmann, Lionel Messi, Luis Suárez, Coutinho and Dembélé. It sends a shiver down the spine.

There will undoubtedly be another twist to this tale over the coming months but for now, there appears to be a great deal of confidence in Catalunya that Griezmann will be unveiled as a Barça player either before or during the World Cup in June.

In fact, according to another report by Sport on Friday, they are even going to reserve the currently vacant number ‘7’ shirt for his arrival.

Make of that what you will.