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Antoine Griezmann has left Barcelona and completed a shocking move that saw him rejoin his former club Atletico Madrid in the dying embers of the summer transfer window. The deal happens to be a season-long loan deal believed to be worth €10 million. it reportedly includes an option for an extra year, as well as an obligation to be made permanent thereafter for a fee of €40 million.
The move will end Griezmann's turbulent time at Barcelona, with the 30-year-old seemingly struggling to find his feet at the club since his move worth €120 million back in 2019.
Since moving to Barcelona in 2019, Griezmann has been a pale version of his former self, having dazzled with Atletico Madrid for five seasons prior. The Frenchman had scored 133 goals in 257 matches across competitions for Atletico, which earned him a place at Barcelona. However, in his two seasons at the Catalan club, Griezmann has only managed to muster 35 goals in 102 appearances.
Barcelona and their fans will not be pleased with the transfer window the club has had, having lost their biggest player of all time in Lionel Messi, as well as Ilaix Moriba and now Antoine Griezmann. Despite signing the likes of Emerson Royal, Sergio Aguero, Memphis Depay, Eric Garcia and Luuk de Jong, the club and its fans will feel like they've got the short end of the stick in this window.
There is, however, one major positive Barcelona can take from Griezmann's departure. Antoine Griezmann's massive wages will no longer be on their books, with Atletico Madrid reportedly agreeing to pay Griezmann's wages in full. This is certain to alleviate Barcelona's ongoing financial crisis which forced them to let Lionel Messi go.
Barcelona release statement following Antoine Griezmann's departure to Atletico Madrid
Following the confirmation of Antoine Griezmann's move to Atletico Madrid, Barcelona released an official statement that said:
"FC Barcelona and Atlético Madrid have reached an agreement for the loan of Antoine Griezmann for a season with the option of a further season. The Madrid club will pay the player's wages and there is a compulsory permanent transfer clause.
FC Barcelona would like to thank Antoine Griezmann for his commitment and dedication and wishes him all the best for the future."
While Griezmann will be ecstatic to return to Atletico Madrid, where he enjoyed his best ever spell, some fans around the world were left perplexed, while others were disappointed. Some believe that the move, as well as the economics of it, make no sense whatsoever. Meanwhile, Atletico Madrid fans were understandably pleased. People around the world took to Twitter to react to the news. Without further ado, here is a look at some of the best tweets we found:
