Xavi confirms Barcelona agreement with Atletico Madrid over Antoine Griezmann transfer
By Tom Gott
Barcelona manager Xavi has confirmed that the club have reached a compromise with Atletico Madrid over the permanent transfer of Antoine Griezmann.
Griezmann joined Atletico on a loan deal last year which included a €40m obligation to buy if he played a certain percentage of minutes - something Los Rojiblancos have been trying to avoid by keeping the Frenchman on the bench.
Keen to ensure the deal did not collapse, Barcelona agreed to negotiate the terms of the deal with Atletico and sources have confirmed to 90min that the Madrid side have now agreed to a future transfer worth around the €20m mark.
Asked about the agreement during a press conference on Saturday, Xavi responded: "The club tells me that they have reached an agreement, but it is not official. If there is an agreement, it means that all parties are happy.
"I wish the player the best."
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While Barcelona were reluctant to lower the initial fee, club officials accepted they could not afford the Frenchman's mammoth salary if he did return and decided they would do whatever it took to get the deal done.
With the transfer now expected to go through in the summer of 2023, Griezmann's tumultuous time at Camp Nou is coming to an end.
A £108m signing from Atletico in 2019, Griezmann never reached his best as he managed a respectable 35 goals and 17 assists in 102 games, before returning to his former employers on a two-year loan deal last season.