10 Weirdest Football Transfers That Happened This Summer

6. Griezmann To Barcelona (£107m)

It’s transfers like this one that inspired this article! Transfer can sometimes be a bit, well, dodgey. Players angle for moves and are willing to throw their current clubs under the bus to do it…see Suarez – Liverpool and Payet – Marseille to name two, but this one is in a world of its own.

Way back in the summer of 2018, one Antoine Griezmann released a little documentary called ‘la Decision’ (BANTER!) in which he took us on a journey of discovery and enlightenment, leading to his eventual ‘decision’ to stay at Atletico Madrid. Good on him, showing respect and faith to a club that have repaid that faith by embracing him as their talisman and fan favourite.

Yeah, that lasted until about March as Atletico accused Barcelona of tapping up their man and signing him to an unofficial deal of sorts before his eventual decision to leave in May, with Barca eventually agreeing to pay Griezmann’s £107m release clause in mid July. This is where it gets WEIRD. Because of Barca’s alleged tapping up of the lad in March and pretty much getting the deal done behind Atletico’s back at that time (sneaky, sneaky Catalonia…)

Griezmann’s buyout clause at that point was just under £185m, which is quite the chunk of change to miss out on if you’re a bruised and heartbroken Atelti. This deal has more treachery in it than a night out in Newcastle and the plot is only thickening by the minute as Atletico have taken Barcelona to court in an attempt to recoup some of their money they feel they are owed or even cancel the deal altogether…daaaaaaaamn.