Atletico sub Antoine Griezmann on in 60th minute again despite lawsuit threat

Antoine Griezmann was once again subbed on after the 60th minute by Diego Simeone as Atletico Madrid look to avoid paying Barcelona the money they believe they’re owed.

The Frenchman returned to his former club on loan from the financially stricken Barcelona last summer, with the deal for two years. If Griezmann plays a certain amount of time for his current side (50% of games or more), they apparently owe €40 million, making the loan deal permanent.

Diego Simeone has been bringing on Griezmann after the hour mark in every game this season, including in European competitions, with the forward bagging an incredibly late winner on Wednesday night in the Champions League.

After that clash, Barcelona threatened to start a lawsuit against them as they believe they are already owed the money for the transfer becoming permanent according to The Daily Mail.

During the first year of the loan, Griezmann played around 80% of games for Atletico, and Barcelona claim their deal was for the first year only and thus, Simeone’s side have to pay up.

Therefore, it wouldn’t matter how many minutes he plays this season, whether it be the full game or a few seconds, Barcelona believe they are owed the money.

It could cause quite some problems for Atletico, who themselves are struggling financially. The Catalan club have had their difficulties well publicised, but it’s the same sorry story for Atletico Madrid.

As per GOAL, five players had to reduce their wages in the summer to help the club massively, with the likes of Joao Felix, Thomas Lemar, and Jan Oblak all taking cuts.

Taking that into account, it’s no surprise to see them doing anything and everything to avoid paying Barcelona, leaving a star player on the bench rather than start him.