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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Sport
Hassan Rashed

Antoine Griezmann 'agrees five-year contract' at Barcelona as he closes in on transfer

Barcelona have opened talks with Atletico Madrid over a deal for Antoine Griezmann after the striker agreed a five-year contract with the Spanish champions, according to reports.

The French World Cup winner has already announced his intention to leave Atletico this summer and  Barcelona  have long been favourites to secure his services.

The Frenchman's release clause is set to drop to €120m (£107m) from €200m (£178m) on July 1, and it is expected that the Catalan club will complete the transfer once that reduction comes into effect.

And L'Equipe (per Marca ) reports that the 28-year-old has already agreed a five-year contract at the Camp Nou, which will see him earn around £15 million per year (€17m).

According to the French publication , representatives from Barcelona and Atletico met last week to try and reach a deal for the striker.

Antoine Griezmann has reportedly agreed personal terms with Barcelona (AFP/Getty Images)

It is also claimed that the two parties have also discussed the possibility of Barcelona including a player in the transfer for the French forward.

Griezmann, who joined Atletico from Real Sociedad in 2014,  was initially linked with a move to Barca last summer, but decided to stay in Madrid.

However, he has since changed his mind and now looks set to link up with Luis Suarez and Lionel Messi in Ernesto Valverde's front line.

Atletico Madrid chief executive Gil Marin has also claimed that he has known that Griezmann would be heading to the Camp Nou since March.

Griezmann joined Atletico in 2014 (2019 Getty Images)

The Frenchman scored 133 goals in 257 games for the club and found the net 21 times in all competitions last season.

Meanwhile, Atletico are already preparing for life without their star forward and have made an approach for Portuguese wonderkid Joao Felix.

Benfica confirmed on Wednesday that they are considering a €126m (£112.9m) from Diego Simeone's side for the 19-year-old.

Although the bid exceeds Felix's €120m release clause, Benfica claim they are within their rights to reject the offer because the La Liga club want to pay the sum in installments.

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