European Giants Could Land Antoine Griezmann For Half Price From July 1, 2018
REUTERS/Sergio Perez
Atletico Madrid striker Antoine Griezmann seems to have become Barcelona’s No. 1 target for next summer’s transfer window, as the Catalan club is set to take advantage of the Frenchman’s reduced release clause, according to reports.
Griezmann signed a one-year extension with Atletico after the La Liga side’s transfer ban was upheld by the Court of Arbitration for Sport. As a result. his release clause mounted from £89m to £178m in order to ward off any interest from other clubs. But the cosmic amount is set revert back to its original value after the deal expires on July 1, 2018.
As per Spanish outlet Mundo Deportivo (via Bleacher Report), the Catalan giants want to bring the 26-year-old to Camp Nou once his release clause drops to £89m next summer. It was reported that Barca want to wrap up the deal with their Spanish rivals before the start of the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
However, they won’t be the only side bidding for the highly rated forward. Premier League giants Man United have been pursuing the France international for quite a while, and manager Jose Mourinho, who is a huge fan of Griezmann, is determined to pair him up with Romelu Lukaku at Old Trafford.
The Frenchman almost completed the switch to United this year, but that was before Barcelona lost their key man, Neymar, to Paris Saint-Germain in a world record transfer. And now, the 26-year-old forward is on top of Barca’s shopping list, despite their acquisition of Ousmane Dembele from Dortmund for a massive £135m.
The Griezmann transfer saga will be at its peak in the upcoming summer window, as the halved £89m release clause for a player of his caliber would be nothing short of a bargain, and many of Europe’s elite would be keeping close tabs on the Atleti striker.
Written by Sidharth Jindal 
Sports fanatic with a passion for writing (predominantly football) and “Wants to live life to its fullest.” Writes about the Premier League on his personal blog.