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Barcelona transfer news: Barca chief makes Antoine Griezmann promise to Atletico Madrid
BARCELONA have promised not to raid La Liga rivals Atletico Madrid for Antoine Griezmann.
Transfer news: Antoine Griezmann won't be joining Barcelona
Barca are on the verge of selling superstar Neymar to PSG in a £199million deal.
They are scouring the market for replacements and Philippe Coutinho and Griezmann appeared to be early names on the radar.
However, a move for the France international is off following crunch talks between Atletico and Barcelona chiefs.
In them, Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu confirmed to his counterpart Miguel Angel Gil Marin that they wouldn't look to sign Griezmann as a replacement for Neymar.
According to Spanish newspaper Marca, Bartomeu had phoned the Atletico CEO asking about Griezmann's situation.
Antoine Griezmann will be staying at Atletico Madrid
During that chat, Bartomeu found the release clause in his contract had been doubled from £89m to £178m after Griezmann signed a new deal.
Initially, the Barca man wasn’t put off by the mega fee and he wanted to know the Atletico standpoint if they came calling.
Gil Marin made it clear that he would enter into any negotiations and the buy-out clause must be met.
After hearing the reply, Bartomeu assured Gil Marin that no bid would be made.
Atletico are currently under a transfer ban, meaning they can’t sign any new players.
The Barcelona chief knows exactly what that’s like, having suffered a similar punishment last year.
He is also said to want to maintain the excellent relationship between both clubs that would have deteriorated if a move went through.