Atletico Madrid complete Griezmann return as Barcelona suffer huge transfer loss

Antoine Griezmann has returned to Atletico Madrid from Barcelona in a move that will see the Catalans lose out on around €80m.

An initial loan has been agreed with an obligation to buy for €40m (£34m) next summer.

The deal almost fell through but paperwork was completed late in the day.

The forward left the Wanda Metropolitano back in 2019 but has been unable to produce his best form in Catalunya.

Griezmann cost Barcelona €120m (£107m) but has only managed 35 goals in his two years at the Nou Camp.

The Catalans are in a poor financial state and have had to offload a host of first team stars.

They couldn't afford to keep Lionel Messi, who has since joined PSG, and getting Griezmann off the wage bill will help their cause.

Antoine Griezmann has returned to Atletico Madrid

Barcelona have added Luuk de Jong from Sevilla as a replacement

Griezmann spent five years at Atletico and excelled under Diego Simeone, scoring over 100 goals.

The Madrid-based outfit won LaLiga last term but are lacking a prolific striker.

Joao Felix, who joined in 2019 for a mammoth fee, has not been able to regularly find the net but he will not be leaving Atletico in any deal.

Emerson Royal has headed to Tottenham whilst Ilaix Moriba has moved to German side RB Leipzig.

The striker has been unable to produce regularly at the Nou Camp

Barcelona president Joan Laporta laid out the club's financial woes when he addressed Messi's departure, insisting signing the Argentine would've hampered the club for half a century.

"I can't make a decision that will affect the club for 50 years," he said.

"The club is over 100 years old and it's above everyone and everything, even above the best player of the world. We will always thank him for everything he's done for us.

"In order to have fair play, we need to do this or make an effort which would put the club at risk. We couldn't keep going with this and we needed to make a decision, which we have."