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Atletico Madrid are not negotiating with Barcelona over a permanent move for Antoine Griezmann, according to the club’s chief executive Enrique Cerezo.
Speculation mounted on Tuesday that Atleti were in talks with Barca to sign the forward permanently.
Griezmann re-joined Atleti on loan from Barca last year, after spending two largely forgettable seasons at Camp Nou following a €120million move in 2019.
The France international featured 26 times in LaLiga last season, making 21 starts and scoring three goals.
He has not started any of Atleti’s six games across all competitions this term, playing just 165 minutes, with Diego Simeone suggesting finances are a factor.
Atleti will reportedly owe Barca €40m if Griezmann plays over 50 per cent of the minutes in matches and, as such, the 31-year-old has consistently been subbed on after the hour.
It has not impacted his form, however, with Griezmann taking up a super-sub mantle, scoring three goals, including a 101st-minute winner against Porto in the Champions League last week.
Amid speculation of Barca taking legal action, talks between the clubs were said to be under way over a permanent move, but these rumours were shot down by Cerezo.
As reported by Marca, Cerezo said: “We haven’t met with Barcelona nor do we have news that we are going to meet.
“The Griezmann issue is very clear, you already know it or you can imagine it. So until everything is resolved, if there is something to solve, we are at the same point.
“At the moment we are at the same point, nothing has changed with Barca on Griezmann. Right now there is nothing, it is the same as when we started the season.”
Atleti face Bayer Leverkusen on Tuesday in their second Champions League outing of the campaign.
Griezmann has been involved in 28 goals in 35 group stage appearances for Atleti, scoring 20 times and providing eight assists.
He has scored in their second match of the tournament in his last three seasons with the club, against Chelsea in 2017-18, Club Brugge in 2018-19 and Milan last term.
