Barcelona Files New Legal Motion in Griezmann Transfer Probe Targetting Alleged Excessive Commissions

FC Barcelona launches legal action over €1.5m in suspicious Griezmann transfer commissions, seeking testimony from the player and his sister.

By: AXL Media

Published: Apr 30, 2026, 8:18 AM EDT

Source: Information for this report was sourced from YSScores

Escalating the Investigation into Past Mismanagement

FC Barcelona has formally intensified its legal pursuit of former club president Josep Maria Bartomeu, filing new motions related to allegations of mismanagement, embezzlement, and fraud. This latest development, reported by the Spanish newspaper "Sport," centers on the financial intricacies of Antoine Griezmann’s move from Atletico Madrid to the Catalan capital in 2019. The current administration, led by Joan Laporta, is utilizing a comprehensive internal audit to highlight what they describe as systematic financial damage inflicted by the previous board. The investigation is now scrutinizing specific deals where commission percentages reportedly reached as high as 33%, far exceeding standard industry practices.

The Financial Deficit of the Bartomeu Era

According to the audit prepared under the Laporta administration, several operations conducted by the previous management have resulted in an estimated deficit of approximately €30 million. The Griezmann transfer, which required Barcelona to trigger a €120 million release clause, remains the most scrutinized transaction in this forensic review. Investigators are specifically focusing on the role of lawyer José Ángel González Franco, who is suspected of receiving a €1.5 million commission for mediation services that the club now alleges may have been unnecessary or unjustified. This case is part of a broader effort by the current board to hold predecessors accountable for the club’s recent financial instability.

Witness Summons for Griezmann and Family

In a significant procedural move, Barcelona’s legal team has requested that Investigative Court No. 16 summon Antoine Griezmann and his sister, Maud Griezmann, to testify as witnesses. Maud, who acted as her brother’s representative during the negotiations, is expected to provide clarity on the distribution of commissions and the identities of all third-party intermediaries involved. The club asserts that their testimony is essential to determine whether the final financial arrangements were distorted by secret agreements that bypassed official accounting channels. This request places the French international, now back at Atletico Madrid, in the center of a complex judicial battle over his former club's balance sheets.