Atletico Madrid have called for an investigation into FC Barcelona offering allegations they have 'tapped up' Antoine Griezmann.
The French international confirmed at the end of the 2018-19 season that he intended to leave the club before the start of the new campaign, with FC Barcelona his likely destination – despite turning down a move to the Camp Nou less than 12 months ago.
However, Atletico are angry at reports that the Catalan side had agreed a deal with Griezmann in March 2019, but agreed to wait until after July 1 to make a formal bid, as his release clause dropped from €200m to €120m.
"Atletico Madrid has learnt that a deal between Barcelona and the player had been agreed in March, stated an offical club press release.
"More specifically, in the days that followed our Champions League defeat to Juventus.
"Furthermore, the agreement had been negotiated from as far back as mid-February."
The club also confirmed that Chief Executive Carlos Gil did meet with FC Barcelona CEO Oscar Grau, with the latter proposing a delay of payment until Griezmann's release clause value fell.
However they have criticised both Griezmann and FC Barcelona for encouraging a player to break his contract and confirmed they would be passing the case on the the Spanish FA to investigate.
Griezmann will now return to pre-season training, as indicated in the statement, and will be forced to wait and see if his move to the Camp Nou comes to fruition before the La Liga transfer window closes on September 2.
