UPDATE! Atletico Madrid Disagree With Barcelona Over Griezmann Transfer Fee

Atletico Madrid are disputing Barcelona’s deal to sign Antoine Griezmann, stating that the fee paid falls £72m short of his release clause.

Barcelona released a statement on Friday afternoon claiming they had signed the 28-year-old after meeting the £108m buyout clause needed to terminate his contract with Atletico Madrid.

However, Atletico responded stating that the money paid was not enough, claiming that Griezmann had agreed to move to the Nou Camp before July 1, when his £180m release clause was slashed down to £108m.

“Atlético de Madrid believes that the amount deposited is insufficient to meet [Griezmann’s] buy-out clause, since it is obvious that the player committed to FC Barcelona before the aforementioned clause was reduced from 200 to 120 million euros,” the club said in a statement.

“Atlético de Madrid believes that the termination of the contract occurred before the end of last season due to events, acts and demonstrations carried out by the player and that is why the club has already started the procedures it considers appropriate for the defense of its legitimate rights and interests.”

The French World Cup winner will be presented as a Barcelona player in the coming days and will sign a five-year deal, with his new contract carrying an €800m (£717m) buyout clause.