Griezmann’s move to Barca Under Scrutiny, May Be Blocked

Atletico Madrid has submitted an official complaint to La Liga over the transfer of Antoine Griezmann to Barcelona.

Atleti claim the deal was done between Barca and the player before the release clause on Griezmann’s contract dropped from 200m euros to 120m euros on July 1. Consequently they are claiming that Barca should pay the larger amount.

La Liga president Javier Tebas told Onda Cero, “It is possible to block a player’s transfer. La Liga will have to decide upon the course of action to take.”

Tebas confirmed a process had been set in motion and those involved will need to arrive at a resolution.

Atletico reported Barcelona to FIFA over an alleged illegal approach for Griezmann back in December 2017. The player rejected an offer from Barcelona last summer. But Atletico claim Barca talked to him again in March and accused the Spanish champions of disrespect.

Griezmann has already played in one game for Barca, yesterday’s 1-2 defeat to Chelsea in a friendly in Saitama, Japan.

The most likely resolution will probably involve an increase in the fee which Barcelona will have to pay, but expect it to fall short of the full 200m euros in place before the amount dropped.