Report: Barcelona Has Agreement With Griezmann, Ready to Pay Release Clause
Barcelona players are ready to welcome Antoine Griezmann to the club this summer after it was reported by Catalan publication Sport that the dressing room doors have been 'opened' to the French international.
With Catalan broadcaster Esport3 additionally claiming that an agreement with Griezmann is already in place, it looks as though it will only be a matter of months before the Atletico Madrid forward is formally trading Wanda Metropolitano for Camp Nou.
Having seen his buyout clause temporarily rise to €200m in light of Atletico's transfer ban being upheld last summer, Griezmann will be available for half that at the end of the season. Barça are willing to pay the necessary €100m and have made sure the 26-year-old wants to sign.
Coach Ernesto Valverde is said to be a big admirer, having witnessed Griezmann from afar as an opposition manager for almost a decade. And Sport's report claims that the Frenchman is one of the players the senior figures in the Barça like most.
Therefore, rather than standing in the way of any deal, the likes of Lionel Messi, Andres Iniesta, Gerard Pique and others will be actively welcoming Griezmann, who is already a close personal friend of center back Samuel Umtiti, into the fold.
They are said to be fully aware of his the quality he possesses and believe his arrival would strengthen their chances of winning further silverware next season and beyond.
Following the recent departure of Arda Turan on a two-and-a-half year loan to Istanbul Basaksehir in Turkey, Griezmann's favored No. 7 shirt also lies vacant at Camp Nou.
