Antoine Griezmann sale 'offloaded €125M in wages from Barcelona books'

Barcelona's sale of Antoine Griezmann to Atletico Madrid has reportedly saved the club €125m (£109m) in wages.

Griezmann returned to Atletico on a two-year loan deal in 2021, but he found his playing time reduced in the opening stages of the current campaign due to a disagreement over a €40m (£35m) purchase clause.

The dispute between Barcelona and Atletico was recently resolved when the Catalan giants agreed to sell Griezmann for €20m (£17m), which could potentially rise to €24m (£21m) depending on various add-ons.

According to Marca, the sale of Griezmann has saved Barcelona from paying €125m (£109m) in wages over the next three years until his contract was due to expire.

The Frenchman's departure is also expected to help the club reduce their wage bill by €60m (£52m) for the 2023-24 season.

As a result of to the dispute, Griezmann has started four consecutive games for Atletico, while he has registered four goals and two assists in 13 appearances this season.