Antoine Griezmann's Barcelona Transfer Could Be Blocked by Atletico over Fee

La Liga President Javier Tebas has said Antoine Griezmann's summer transfer to Barcelona from Atletico Madrid could be blocked due to a dispute over the payment. 

Griezmann joined Barca for €120 million (£107 million) after the amount of his release clause dropped on July 1, but Atleti contest the deal was struck before then and they're due the full €200 million (£178.5 million) fee. 

Tebas told Onda Cero (h/t BBC Sport) there might be grounds for the transfer to be cancelled: "It is possible to block a player's transfer. La Liga will have to decide what course of action to take. [Atletico] submitted a complaint and put in doubt whether we should pass Griezmann's licence to Barcelona. There's a process that has been put in motion and those overseeing it will have to come to resolve the case."

The situation is complicated by the fact Griezmann has already made his Barcelona debut on Tuesday, when they suffered a 2-1 pre-season defeat to Chelsea in the 2019 Rakuten Cup:

The Blaugrana spent big to sign Griezmann and €75 million signing Frenkie de Jong from Ajax this summer, though the joy of recruiting the former could be short-lived.

Barca's two newest stars each reacted to their first outing in the club's colours:

Griezmann completed his transfer to Barcelona on July 12. However, Atletico released a statement on July 6, slamming their Spanish rivals for the manner in which they pursued the France forward, accusing Barca of agreeing the transfer in March:

"Atletico Madrid wishes to express its strongest disapproval of the behaviour of both [parties], especially FC Barcelona, for prompting the player to break his contractual relationship with Atletico Madrid.

“[We have] learned that Barcelona and the player had reached an agreement in March, specifically in the days following the return match of our Champions League tie against Juventus, and that they had been negotiating the terms of the agreement since mid-February."

BBC Sport mentioned Atletico previously reported Barcelona to FIFA regarding a previous attempt to illegally lure Griezmann to the Camp Nou.

Manager Ernesto Valverde didn't seem concerned by the possibility of the player leaving his squad following his maiden appearance for the Blaugrana, via Goal:

It would damage Barcelona's finances greatly if they were ordered to pay the outstanding €80 million (£71 million) in Griezmann's fee—the difference between his pre- and post-July 1 release clause amount.

The 2018 FIFA World Cup winner has a contract in Catalonia until 2024 that comes complete with an €800 million (£713.4 million) buyout clause.

However, Tebas' comments reacting to the controversy suggest Barcelona may be forced to give their man back to Atletico until the disagreement over his fee is resolved.