Atletico Madrid to Dispute Antoine Griezmann Move & Demand Barcelona Pay Full €200m Release Clause

​Atletico Madrid have released a statement disputing Antoine Griezmann's €120m move to Barcelona, insisting the Blaugrana should pay his full €200m release clause which was active when the Frenchman agreed his move.

Griezmann's release clause dropped from €200m to €120m in July, allowing Barcelona to swoop in and finalise a reduced deal for the forward.

However, ​Atletico took to their ​official website to accuse ​Barcelona of actually agreeing a move for Griezmann before his clause dropped, so they should therefore pay his the full €200m.

They wrote: "Antoine Griezmann, represented by his lawyer, has appeared at the headquarters of the Professional Football League to unilaterally terminate the contract that binds the player with Atletico Madrid, having deposited €120m on behalf of Barcelona.

"Atletico Madrid believes that the amount deposited is insufficient to meet his release clause, since it is obvious that the commitment of the player and Barcelona was closed before the aforementioned clause was reduced from €200m to €120m. 

"It was also prior to the date on which the clause was modified that Griezmann, on May 14 announced his imminent departure from the club.

"Atletico Madrid believes that the termination of his contract occurred before the end of last season due to events, acts and demonstrations carried out by the player and that is why the club have already started the appropriate procedures for the defence of their rights and interests."

Atletico have ​previously accused the 28-year-old of agreeing a deal with Barcelona back in March, when his clause still stood at €200m. However, the Blaugrana opted to wait until it dropped before they made their official approach to Atletico.

The Frenchman opted to skip pre-season training in order to force through a move to Camp Nou, and he finally got his wish on Friday, but this lengthy transfer saga appears far from over.