Griezmann: "I'll only consider leaving if Simeone goes"
Antoine Griezmann revealed that he only signed a contract extension with Atlético after learning that Diego Simeone would be staying on as the team's coach.
Simeone, the reason why Griezmann renewed with Atleti
Antoine Griezmann signed a contract extension with Atlético de Madrid while he was on duty with France at Euro 2016 - a new agreement which will keep him at the Calderón until June 2021, and boosted his buy-out clause to 100 million euros as well as earning the player a substantial pay rise. But the French forward delayed putting pen to paper until he knew for sure that coach Diego Simeone would be staying at the club. After May's Champions League final, El Cholo said he "needed time to think", which some interpreted as a sign that he would be moving on over the summer.
No Cholo, no go
Griezmann, in turn, sent a message to the club: "If I stay here, it will be to work under Simeone. I would be very annoyed if he left".
And in recent declarations to Telefoot, the forward confirmed that he only agreed to renew terms with Atlético after learning that Simeone would be staying: “Before extending my contract, I called him and he confirmed that he would be staying. For me, it was important to know. I needed to know that I am at a club where the coach has faith in me. I'm very happy in Spain and I can continue to learn a lot fromSimeone: my only fear was that Simeone might go to PSG or somewhere else”.