Griezmann refuses Atletico’s pre-season call-up

Antoine Griezmann has informed Atletico Madrid he won’t be joining the team for the start of pre-season, according to Marca.

Atletico have responded strongly to Barcelona’s courting of Griezmann by directing strong criticism of their approach to a potential transfer of their forward to the Camp Nou this summer, and they now refuse to negotiate. This means that Barcelona could only hope to prize the Frenchman away if they activate his buyout clause, reportedly set at €120 million. The Madrid club have also told Griezmann that he is expected to report for pre-season training, which he is apparently unwilling to do.

The forward rejected a move to Barcelona last summer, opting to stay at the Wanda Metropolitano then, but he has had a change of heart since and has already made it known that he has no intention of playing for Atletico next season.

If the situation remains unchanged, the Catalans are likely to proceed with the transfer by activating the said buyout clause in Griezmann’s contract some time next week.