The sports dome of FC Barcelona will have to make many decisions this summer. Among them, facing the future of the players that the club has on loan. That list includes the name of French striker Antoine Griezmann, on loan to Atlético de Madrid. Barça and the rojiblanco club agreed to a loan season plus an optional one with a mandatory purchase option of 40 million if the Frenchman played more than 40 percent of the minutes. Atlético has already decided that it will continue to have Griezmann for the remaining year on loan. But it is possible that both clubs reach an agreement for Barça to transfer definitively to the Frenchman this summer.
From the mattress club they want to modify some economic terms, especially after observing that Barça has transferred Philippe Coutinho to Aston Villa for 20 million euros, half of the 40 that they agreed with Barça at the time, although in the case of the Brazilian , the purchase option was not mandatory. They are also awaiting what happens with Álvaro Morata, a striker on loan at Juventus until the end of the course and for whom Barça was interested in January before signing Ferran Torres. Juventus has on the table a non-compulsory purchase option for Morata of 35 million euros that it does not seem that he is going to exercise, so an exchange operation between footballers is not ruled out, especially if Robert Lewandowski does not end up as a Barça player.
While both clubs are looking for a new agreement, Enrique Cerezo, president of Atlético, has already shared his opinion publicly in favor of the Frenchman continuing. “Griezmann will stay at Atlético. Money is not a problem when the plan is to continue together," said the president. That is also Griezmann's will. He does not contemplate returning to Barcelona.
The Frenchman, happy at Atlético, wants to recover his best version at the club he considers home. Injuries have taken their toll this season, keeping him away for almost four months and his goalscoring records (eight goals in all competitions) have been affected. "I believe that Griezmann this season due to the injuries he has had and due to the circumstances of the team has not been what we all expected, but he has a splendid future", declared Cerezo, who also knows that Griezmann has Simeone's total trust.
Barça will also have to deal with the cases of Miralem Pjanic and Francisco Trincão, on loan at Besiktas and Wolverhampton respectively. Their contracts expire in 2024 and 2025 and, although they have enjoyed a lot of prominence, Barça will have to search the market to find other outlets for them. Sports planning does include goalkeeper Iñaki Peña, on loan at Galatasaray, and the forward trained at La Masia, Àlex Collado, on loan at Granada, so that they at least complete the preseason with the first team.
4
