Griezmann discusses remarkable Atletico Madrid plan as £50m ploy pays off again

Antoine Griezmann has broken his silence on Atletico Madrid's plan to avoid paying out a £50million transfer fee for the on-loan Barcelona star.

Griezmann, who plundered 133 goals in 257 appearances for Atleti before he was lured to the Nou Camp in a controversial transfer back in 2019, was re-signed by the La Liga club last summer on a two-year loan deal which included a clause that would make the move permanent at the end of that spell. However, that option is based on the percentage of matches in which Griezmann features for 30 minutes or more, excluding additional time.

The 31-year-old was introduced in the 61st minute of Atletico's 2-1 win over FC Porto in the Champions League, with Griezmann going on to net a dramatic last-gasp winner.

Griezmann has now been used in all of Atleti's matches so far this season for under 30 minutes - but the Frenchman made it clear after the Porto game that he has accepted the approach that the club have chosen to adopt and has no issue with it.

He said: "It is what it is, it's out of my hands. [I'm] grateful to God for being here. My family is happy, I of course want more, but I am going to give everything I have in the minutes I have. I feel like a man of the club, I am happy here and I only want to play here and give everything for the club, for Cholo and for the fans."

Barcelona have been in financial turmoil over the past 18 months and the sizeable sum that they would stand to bank from Atletico if they did acquire Griezmann on a permanent basis would be a welcome boost for the Spanish giants, who still spent heavily in the summer transfer window.

Join the debate! What have you made of Griezmann's form for Atletico? Let us know here.

However, Diego Simeone's side appears to be committed to the plan in order to avoid coughing up a total package that could exceed £50m for a player who is due to become a free agent next summer.

Simeone avoided the question when he was also asked about the reasoning behind Griezmann being used so sparingly. The Atletico chief said: "We can see the reality and it is that in 30 minutes he is doing very well. We don't know in 60. We look at realities."

Despite his limited minutes on the field, Griezmann has already made a big impact for Atletico this season. His late, late winner against Porto was his third goal in five games in all competitions.

The versatile forward marked his return to the club by registering eight goals and seven assists in 39 appearances in all competitions last year.

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