Atletico say they’re ‘fed up’ with Barcelona over Griezmann

Atletico Madrid have released a pretty strongly-worded statement about Antoine Griezmann after increased speculation over a Barcelona move for the Frenchman.

President Josep Maria Bartomeu has admitted he met with Griezmann last year and speculation has claimed the club have told Atleti they will pay his release clause.

Atletico CEO Miguel Ángel Gil Marín is pretty annoyed about the whole thing though and put out a statement on the club’s website.

“We’re fed up with Barcelona’s attitude. That a president, player and a board member speak the way they’ve done about the future of a player with an existing contract and just a few days before disputing a European final, is an absolute lack of respect towards Atlético Madrid and its fans.

”Atlético de Madrid’s stance is very clear and has been made public on numerous occasions. Not once have we negotiated for Griezmann nor do we have any intention to do so. A few months ago, I personally expressed to Barcelona’s president that our player isn’t for sale nor are we going to sell him. At the same time, I let him know that his inappropriate conduct was against the integrity of the competition, especially since we’ve been competing for the league title throughout the season and Barcelona have been continuously pressuring one of the most relevant players from our squad. I also told him in that moment, that in the chance the player exercised his right to nullify his contract due to their pressure throughout the season that Atlético de Madrid would demand Barcelona compensation for their inappropriate behavior.

”Enough is enough. I hope this statement serves its purpose and that us Atlético fans can enjoy this moment and prepare ourselves for a final like we should.”

Source | Atletico Madrid

This is not the first time that Atletico have complained about Barcelona’s pursuit of Griezmann, but if the club activate his release clause there will be little Atleti can do.

Griezmann has said he wants his future sorted before the World Cup and, if Barcelona want him they might want to get a move on before relations between the two clubs deteriorate even further.