Chelsea monitoring Atletico Madrid forward Antoine Griezmann as £43m release clause is revealed

Chelsea are reportedly monitoring the situation with Atletico Madrid forward Antoine Griezmann, who has a £43m buyout clause.

According to the Daily Mail, the Spanish capital club will be powerless to stop the player from leaving if the Blues match the release-clause in his contract.

Griezmann only joined the reigning La Liga champions last summer and has gone on to impress in his first season at the club. The Frenchman has scored 25 goals in all competitions for the club and that has alerted interested clubs.

Apart from Chelsea, Bavarian giants Bayern Munich are also supposed to be interested in signing him, as they view him as a perfect long-term replacement for Frank Ribery.

The former Real Sociedad player has a contract until 2020 with the Spanish club and manager Diego Simeone is adamant that he will not be allowed to leave, but the release-clause is a setback that could cost Atletico dear in the summer.

The report claims that the manager, who has an excellent relationship with the player, has asked the club to renegotiate his contract and increase his exit clause in order to dissuade the likes of Chelsea and Bayern.

Griezmann scored his 22 goals of the season against Elche on 25 April and that saw him beat the likes of Thierry Henry and Karim Benzema to become the highest scoring Frenchman in a single season in the history of the La Liga.

This has made the 24-year-old forward a fan favourite at the Vicente Calderon and his sale after just one season will reportedly anger the fans, who have already seen three of their players join the Stamford Bridge outfit during last summer's transfer window.

It is believed that Atletico are planning a summer clear-out with the likes of Mario Mandzukic, Joao Miranda, Gabi and Siqueira all heading for the exit, but are adamant that Griezmann will not be included on that list despite his release clause.