Atletico Madrid completes the signing of former player Antoine Griezmann on the last day of the transfer window. The player will join the La Liga champions from Barcelona on a season-long loan.
Griezmann famously made his big-money move to Camp Nou in 2019 from Atletico. However, the Frenchman was not able to make the same impact he had in Atletico with his mark with Barcelona. With the Blaugrana undergoing financial turmoil the club decided to sell Griezmann this summer.
Atletico has now initially signed Griezmann on a season-long loan, with an option to extend it by another year. The deal also mandates Atletico to sign the 30-year-old at the end of the loan for €40 million.
EMOTIONAL ATLETICO RETURN FOR GRIEZMANN
Griezmann made his shock move to Barcelona two years back but found it difficult to establish himself. He made 102 appearances across all competitions for the Blaugrana and was able to score 35 goals and assist for a further 16. The forward also won a Copa Del Rey with the club.
The move to sell Griezmann came as a result of the financial mismanagement in Barcelona. The club has sold multiple players from their squad and notably was not able to extend the contract of club legend Lionel Messi, forcing him to move to PSG.
There was talk throughout the summer to have a swap deal between Atletico and Barcelona. This involves Griezmann and Atletico midfielder Saul Niguez. However, this never materialized and Saul went to Chelsea on the deadline day. Barca finally decides to cut costs and agreed to a loan deal for Griezmann with an obligation to buy with Atleti.
For Griezmann, his second spell with the Rojiblanco will come with big challenges. He will have to win back the fans who were frustrated when he switched to Barca the first time. The World Cup winner has played 257 times for Atleti in the past and was able to score 133 goals for them. He also won one Spanish Super Cup, one Europa League and one UEFA Super Cup during that time.
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