Barcelona Transfer Rumors 2018: Barça Deny They Have an Agreement With Atlético Madrid Forward Antoine Griezmann
Clubs don't usually release public statements denying they were pursuing a certain player, but Barcelona just had to do it after rumors of a "secret pact" between the club and Atlético Madrid's Antoine Griezmann started to spread during the weekend.
"FC Barcelona strongly denies the information that has appeared over the course of the last few hours in different media regarding Atlético Madrid player, Antoine Griezmann, and an alleged deal with our club," the statement reads.
Catalan newspaper Sport was the first to report that there was already a deal in place between the club and Griezmann for the French forward to join Barça this summer.
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"SPORT can reveal that if either Barça or Griezmann pull out of the deal, there will be a punishment for breaking the pact. That's to say, if Barça don't sign him or if he goes somewhere else, say Manchester United, there will be a financial loss," Albert Rogé said in his report for Sport.
News outlets have long been accused of helping their local clubs get their targets by stirring things up, but what Sport did was ill-advised and it will make a potential move to Barcelona difficult for Griezmann.
Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu and Atlético Madrid president Miguel Angel Gil Martin have a good relationship in the past. But don't forget, Los Colchoneros have already reported Barcelona to Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) for making an illegal approach for Griezmann last month.
This is actually quite similar to what happened between Liverpool and Southampton last summer when the Reds went after Virgil van Dijk. The Reds had to drop their interest in van Dijk and release a public apology after the Saints lodged a complaint to the Premier League about an illegal approach for the Dutch centre-back.
Of course, Liverpool would eventually sign van Dijk months later at a hefty price. Can Barcelona do the same with Griezmann?
