Joan Laporta has revealed the terms of Barcelona’s new agreement with Atletico Madrid over the permanent sale of Antoine Griezmann.
Having vowed they would not trigger their €40m obligation to buy Griezmann permanently because of concerns over the high price, Atletico and Barcelona struck an agreement over a lower transfer fee which will still prove advantageous to both sides.
“It’s done and it’s a good deal – we’ll receive €20m fixed and €4m in add-ons,” Barcelona president Laporta revealed.
“There is another clause in the player’s sale agreement is that if Atletico Madrid decides to sell the player in the future, they will have to pay us the difference that remains up to the €40m that was set before.”
Asked why Barcelona were so willing to accept close to half of the original agreement, Laporta stressed that the club simply could not afford to bring Griezmann’s astronomical wages back on to the books.
“If Griezmann returned to Barcelona after the World Cup, his salary was €36m,” he explained. “Just look at the magnitude of our current tragedy.
“At least, we have avoided this risk and the possibility that La Liga made a wrong interpretation – lately La Liga haven’t really been up to the task.
“Griezmann is sold. It’s a good deal.”
Laporta also stressed that agreeing to a sale before the World Cup was in Barcelona’s best interests as, had Griezmann picked up an injury or endured a poor tournament, then Atletico would have had more negotiating power.
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