Barcelona agree deal to sell superstar forward for cut-price fee: Report
According to Cadena SER, as reported by Forbes, Barcelona have agreed a €20 million fee with Atletico Madrid for the sale of Antoine Griezmann.
Griezmann arrived at the Catalan club in 2019 for a fee of €120 million. However, he was often deployed on the left wing, a position he wasn't comfortable with.
The player made 102 appearances for the Blaugranas, scoring 35 goals and providing 17 assists. He made the move back to Atletico Madrid on loan in 2021, with a mandatory buy option for €40 million.
However, the contract had a clause, which said that the Frenchman had to play 50% of Atletico Madrid's total games for the club to shell out that fee. Hence, they found a shrewd strategy that saw Diego Simeone bring the player on as a substitute after the hour mark.
That said, the 2018 World Cup winner was a starter for Atletico Madrid in two of their recent games against Real Madrid in La Liga and Club Brugge in the UEFA Champions League.
This led to speculations that both sides might have reached an agreement over the player's transfer. Now, the aforementioned report suggests that a deal has been reached between the two clubs.
Griezmann has made 10 appearances for the Madrid-based side so far this campaign, scoring three goals and providing one assist across all competitions.
Barcelona manager Xavi Hernandez left furious with referees
Barcelona manager Xavi Hernandez was left enraged by the referees during his team's defeat against Inter Milan in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday. The Catalan club had a goal disallowed and a potential penalty was not awarded to them. The loss at the San Siro marked the team's second straight defeat in the competition.
Speaking to the media after the game, Xavi Hernandez revealed his frustration with the referees, as he said (via Barca Universal):
“I’m angry. The referees should come out and explain their decisions because we don’t understand anything. I asked the referee to explain his decisions after the match and he refused. What we lived today is injustice."
He added:
“They told me that Pedri’s goal should have counted. It is a legal goal. In Pedri’s goal, after Ansu accidentally touches it, the rule says that a new play starts from that moment. So it should be considered a legal goal. The referee left and said nothing. I’m outraged. We don’t understand. That is the word, outraged.”