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Report: Atletico Madrid attempting to ward off Chelsea's interest in Antoine Griezmann, Koke by raising buy-out clauses

Miguel Vidal / Reuters

Atletico Madrid are reportedly upping the ante in Chelsea's pursuit of Antoine Griezmann and Koke.

According to the Guardian, Atleti are moving to deter Chelsea's interest in the duo by raising the buy-out clauses in each of their new contracts to about £100 million.

It recently emerged that Portuguese super agent Jorge Mendes - who is regarded as the most powerful man in football after having conducted many of Europe's biggest transfers - is acting in an advisory capacity for Chelsea's pursuit of Griezmann. That obviously bodes well for Chelsea given Mendes' close relationship with the London club.

However, even though Mendes counts Jose Mourinho and Diego Costa among his clients, a significant rise in Griezmann and Koke's buy-out clauses would obviously make it tougher for Chelsea to bring the pair of players to Stamford Bridge.

Griezmann, who has notched 22 goals in 35 La Liga appearances, is believed to be open to the idea of moving to the Premier League and is intent on calculating Chelsea's interest. Atleti clearly underestimated the impact that Griezmann would have in his first season at the Vicente Calderon, as the buy-out clause in his current six-year contract reportedly stands at £43 million.

Koke, meanwhile, is apparently happy at Atleti as he reaches the conclusion of a season in which he's notched 10 assists through 32 La Liga appearances. Chelsea's interest in the 23-year-old playmaker has been long-standing and his buy-out clause is reportedly identical to the one in Griezmann's current contract.

Chelsea and Atleti enjoy a relationship that has seen a number of players arrive at Stamford Bridge from the Vicente Calderon. Costa and Filipe Luis were purchased from Atleti, and Thibaut Courtois ended a three-year loan spell with the Spanish club ahead of the season.

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