Barcelona issue statement regarding ‘secret pact’ with Antoine Griezmann

They strongly deny an agreement with the player has been made.

It is no secret that the Barcelona hierarchy are big fans of Griezmann. And it has been reported by SPORT that the club have agreed a 'secret pact' with the player to bring him to the Nou Camp in the summer. The reported 'pact' agrees that if Griezmann moves to another club, or if Barcelona do not come in to sign him, the guilty party would be obliged to pay a penalty fee. Barcelona today issued a statement strongly denying these reports. The statement read:

"FC Barcelona strongly denies the information that has appeared over the course of the last few hours in different media regarding Atlético Madrid player, Antoine Griezmann, and an alleged deal with our club.

"FC Barcelona expresses its objections in the face of these events and reiterates its full respect for the institution of Atlético Madrid."

'Tapping up' as it has become known - the action of a club speaking to a player in an attempt to persuade them to join them while the player is under contract elsewhere - is frowned upon in the world of football and in some cases clubs can be punished. Of course, it happens all the time, but clubs do not want to be seen to be doing it. If the move were to go ahead, Griezmann would join Lionel Messi, Luis Suárez, Ousmane Dembélé and Philippe Coutinho in Barça's attack. This would give Ernesto Valverde a selection headache, but what a problem to have. The Frenchman can play anywhere across the front line; he played as a winger at Real Sociedad before moving into a central position for Atlético. That versatility could be a huge benefit for Barcelona, as they continue to search for the best attacking formula in the post-Neymar era and must gradually adapt to playing without Andrés Iniesta.