Barca get Griezmann but Atletico contest 120M fee

BARCELONA announced the signing of Antoine Griezmann on Friday for € 120 million ($135 million), sparking a furious reaction from Atletico Madrid over the amount the La Liga champions paid for the World Cup winner.

I n a s t a t e ment , Ba r c a revea led t hat t hey had paid t he € 120 mil l ion to act ivate t he Fr enc h ma n’s r e l e a s e clause, adding he would sign a f ive-year deal t hat included a “buyout cl au s e of € 8 0 0 million”.

Griezmann almost signed for Barca 12 months ago, but instead opted to remain at At l e t i c o, announcing hi s choice to stay in a documentary called The Decision.

“When I was a boy, my dad taught me that trains don’t come around just once,” Griezmann said in a video posted on the Barcelona website on Friday.

“Now it’s t i me to ta ke on t he c h a l l e nge destination.

“Finally, our paths cross. I’ll defend the Barca colours with all my determination and commitment. It’s our time. This is our path.”

However, within minutes of Barcelona’s announcement, Atletico said they believed “the amount paid is insufficient to meet the release clause as it is obvious that the agreement between the player and Barcelona had been concluded before the release clause dropped from € 200 million to € 120 million” at the start of the month.

They said Griezmann had gone to the headquarters of Spanish Football League (LFP) to “unilaterally” break his contract after Barca met the release clause, and added they of a ne w had already “begun appropriate procedures” to defend their “rights and legitimate interests”.

The announcement was the latest episode in a spat between the two clubs and Griezmann after the 28-year-old failed to show up for Atletico’s pre-season gathering on Sunday following his announcement in May he would be leaving for an unnamed destination – l o n g - s u s p e c t e d t o b e Barcelona.

Last week Atletico accused Barcelona and Griezmann of a “lack of respect” after Barca president Josep Maria Ba rtomeu r e v e a l e d t he t wo clubs had held ta l k s about t he for mer Rea l Sociedad for ward.

Atletico then claimed Griezmann had told t he club he had struck a deal with Barcelona i n Ma rch, ju st day s before t he second leg of t heir Champions League last-16 tie w it h Juvent us, which saw them dumped out by a Cristiano Ronaldo hat-trick af ter winning t he f i rst leg 2-0 i n Madrid.

Griezmann joined Atletico in 2014 a nd has scored 133 goals in 257 appearances, lifti ng t he Eu ropa L eag ue i n 2018.

He won the Golden Boot at Euro 2016 when France were beaten in the final on home soil by Portuga l before helpi ng to g uide his count r y to World Cup glor y in Russia last year.

T he s a le of Gr ie z ma n n comes after Atletico stumped up a whopping € 126 million to sig n rising sta r Joao Feli x from Benfica last week, making t he 19-year-old one of t he five most expensive players in histor y.

The fee was a record paid by the capital city club and the highest ever received by a Portuguese outfit, and the sale of Griezmann helps finance such a huge transfer for a young player.

Felix burst onto the scene last season, scoring 20 times and making 11 assists in all competitions for Benfica as they won the Primeira Liga and reached the quarter-finals of the Europa League.

On Fr iday Atletico also unveiled Felix’s former Benfica teammate Ivan Saponjic with the 20-year-old Serbian forward having signed a threeyear deal with the Spanish club.