Barcelona manager Xavi Hernandez has discreetly pointed towards the sale of Antoine Griezmann to Atletico Madrid. This comes amid rumours that the two Spanish sides are closing in on an agreement to make the French forward’s loan deal permanent.
Barcelona Manager Hints at Exit for Antoine Griezmann
Xavi on Atletico-Barça agreement for Griezmann: “It's not official yet… but if there's an agreement, so we are all happy”. 🇫🇷🤝🏻 #FCB
“I can only wish the player the best”, Xavi added as deal will be announced soon for €20m plus €4m add ons. pic.twitter.com/qqm9qPsDyX
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) October 8, 2022
Xavi’s Comments on Attackers Situation
In a recent press conference, the Spanish manager was asked about what is going on with the situation involving the French international and whether the Blaugrana are close to reaching an agreement with Atletico. He said: “It’s not official yet… but if there’s an agreement, so we are all happy.
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“I can only wish the player the best.” It looks like something definitive is going on behind the scenes, which is why the Barcelona boss is being so coy with his comments and refused to refute the claims either. After having spent a lot of money on signing quality attacking players like Robert Lewandowski and Raphinha, there is no more room in Xavi’s squad for Griezmann anymore – which is seemingly why he is destined to exit Camp Nou.
French International Looks Set for Atletico Madrid Stay
The current terms for the French forward’s move away from Barcelona see him on loan at Atletico Madrid until the end of the season, after which there is an option to make the deal permanent. But it looks like both the La Liga clubs want to solidify a deal well before that happens and are trying to make the loan permanent now.
All parties involved in Antoine Griezmann deal are now confident to get the agreement signed soon. Barcelona will receive €20m plus add-ons [around €2m] to sell Griezmann on permanent deal to Atletico Madrid. 🚨⚪️🔴 #Atleti #FCB
Griezmann only wanted to stay at Atléti. pic.twitter.com/pHq1zM6fnu
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) October 6, 2022
Barcelona are reportedly ready to accept a fee of around £17.5 million for the sale of the 31-year-old forward, something which the Madrid side are willing to pay. Griezmann is also keen on staying with Diego Simeone’s side and doesn’t want to go back to playing at Camp Nou anytime soon. Griezmann, who was once described as ‘one of the greatest of all time’ by France manager Didier Deschamps, has scored three goals and provided two assists in 11 appearances this season.
