At the last minute, with just a few minutes to spare for the conclusion of last summer's market, FC Barcelona closed the transfer of Antoine Griezmann for two years to Atlético de Madrid with a mandatory purchase option of 40 million subject to sporting variables. The Frenchman's departure was a relief for Joan Laporta's board, a break for the Blaugrana's soaring wage bill. It seemed that the gray story of the forward with the Barcelona shirt had ended, with decent numbers in his two seasons at the club but very disappointing sensations, especially considering that in 2019 the payment of 135 million was set for his signing. More than a see you soon, the Catalan club's board expected a definitive goodbye, confident that the player would become the property of the red and white entity at the end of this season.
However, the most determining clause of the contract that was signed can change the destiny of the Frenchman. It is difficult, but it is possible. For Griezmann not to take the airlift again, he must play at least 45 minutes in 50% of the games in which he is available during his two years in the Spanish capital. The statistics of Mâcon in the first season of his return to the mattress team smile at the Blaugrana interests: he played 30 of the 37 games in which he was available, 81 percent. That trend has changed drastically in the first three days of this League, substitute in all and suspiciously taking the field in the last half hour, therefore less than what was marked in the contract. The rojiblancos will play a maximum of 61 games this season. In that case and in case he is always available, the little prince should play the remainder of the season at least 45 minutes of 19 games so that he ends up being a Madrid club player for all purposes.
"Having him on the field is very important and I understand that you have to put him on when it suits the team best," Cholo Simeone said after the duel against Valencia about the Frenchman, who scored the winning goal at Mestalla (0-1). One of the reasons, if not the main one, for Griezmann's return to Atlético is the Argentine coach, who requested his signing, which makes his secondary role even more strange. For now, he has opted for Morata and João Félix in attack, but the schedule, especially intense and tight this season due to the World Cup in November, will force him to make more rotations than usual. Atlético, which is not in for big expenses either, seems to be playing its contractual tricks so as not to be forced to take on the transfer or the record of the little prince, who, if he stayed at the Metropolitano, would extend his contract for another year as agreed in writing. until 2025, and would continue to charge figures similar to the current ones.
In case of returning to the Camp Nou, his salary, which is around 20 million euros, would become a new ballast difficult to fit within the parameters of the new salary scale that the Laporta board is implementing and it would also be a new pain head to comply with financial fair play regulations. There is still a course to go, but taking on Griezmann again in the locker room would make things difficult for Mateu Alemany, director of football, for a change. Bad cards in the deck: player in the final stretch of his career (he will be 32 years old) and a salary out of the market.
The Frenchman's situation is very similar to that experienced during his time as a Barcelona player by Philippe Coutinho, the most expensive signing in the club's history (120 million fixed plus 40 variable). The Brazilian, ruled out due to his poor performance and with a very high salary, left on loan to Aston Villa last winter. The villains, who had a non-compulsory purchase option of 40 million, ended up signing the carioca for 20 million in May. If Griezmann finally stays at Atlético, the 40 million earned by Barça would help amortize the high price paid by the Frenchman, but they would be insufficient to compensate for the sporting failure that his time at the Camp Nou meant.
