Antoine Griezmann has doubts about Barcelona transfer
Reports in Thursday's L'Equipe state that the French striker is flattered by the interest shown by Barça but that he has a lot of respect for Atlético, who are offering a sizeable amount to stay. Cruz Azul vs America: Liga MX, live online
The Atlético Madrid striker has not yet decided if he will leave the rojiblanca club this summer and, if he does, whether he will end up at Barcelona. This is the news coming from French newspaper L'Equipe on Thursday.
No Barça decision yet for Griezmann
Between the revaluation of his salary currently on offer in the capital and Barca's proposal to pay the 100-million-euro clause, the player "has not yet decided anything," according to the paper.
Griezmann is said to be "flattered" by the interest shown by Barcelona and the opportunity to play alongside Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez, the latter a player he particularly admires, but he adds that he has the "utmost" respect for Atlético Madrid. What is clear, say L'Équipe, is that he wants to continue playing football in Spain, his wife's home country.
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His future, which he wants to have resolved before the World Cup in Russia this summer, has some timing conflicts. The Fifa tournament begins on June 14 but Griezmann's 200-million-euro release clause halves at the start of July, a factor the Catalan club want to take advantage of.
Atlético transfer timings
If Barcelona do indeed wait to pay the reduced value - and, of course, Griezmann agrees to the move - this leaves Atlético with a smaller margin to find a replacement for their 27-year-old star, whose current contract doesn't expire until 2022.
In addition to this, the Madrid club have to pay 20% of any transfer fee for their French striker to fellow LaLiga side Real Sociedad, limiting the amount they can then reinvest. Two names that have been put forward by L'Équipe as potential arrivals at Atleti are PSG's Ángel di Maria and Edinson Cavani.
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