Antoine Griezmann has returned to Atletico Madrid permanently from Barcelona after agreeing to a deal that would keep him with the club through 2026, the LaLiga team said on Monday.
Griezmann returns to Atletico permanently after leaving Barcelona
The World Cup champion was signed by Barcelona in 2019 when his 120 million euro ($116.51 million) release clause was triggered, but the Frenchman struggled to fit in at Camp Nou, making 102 appearances and only scoring 35 goals. Last year, the disgruntled striker returned to Atletico on loan in an agreement that gave Diego Simeone’s team the opportunity to prolong his stay by an additional year before they began talks with Barca about a permanent move. “I’m glad I’m where I want to be. Thank you to everyone,” Griezmann tweeted upon the announcement of the signing.
The transfer’s costs were not disclosed, although Spanish media stated that the base price was around 20 million euros, with an additional four million euros in add-ons.
Simeone only offered Griezmann a cameo appearance despite Atletico’s desire to bring him back permanently because, according to reports, the club did not want to enact a provision that would have required them to pay 40 million euros if he played more than 50% of the available minutes. When Barca embarked on a spending binge to buy Robert Lewandowski, Raphinha, and Jules Kounde in the offseason, they had already replaced him. Meanwhile, free agents Andreas Christensen, Franck Kessie, Hector Bellerin, and Marcos Alonso all joined the team.
However, in order to comply with LaLiga’s financial fair play regulations, the Spanish club had to offload players and cut salaries. By letting Griezmann go, the club will be able to keep its spending cap for the upcoming season.
After eight games, Atletico is fourth in LaLiga, six points behind Real Madrid and Barcelona, who are in first and second place, respectively.