Griezmann completes shock deadline-day move to Atletico

Antoine Griezmann is beginning a new chapter at Atletico Madrid.

Atletico reached an agreement with Barcelona shortly before Tuesday’s transfer deadline to re-sign Griezmann on loan with an obligation to buy worth a reported €40 million.

The La Liga rivals reportedly initially discussed a swap deal for Griezmann and Atletico Madrid forward Joao Felix. Barcelona failed in their attempt to sign Felix on loan Monday before returning with a new offer involving Griezmann, who enjoyed a successful five-year spell with the Madrid club before moving to the Catalan capital in 2019.

Barcelona spent €120 million to sign Griezmann, but the club shopped him around this summer. Earlier talks with Atletico reportedly broke down over a potential swap deal involving the French forward and midfielder Saul Niguez, according to ESPN’s Sam Marsden and Moises Llorens. Atletico loaned the Spaniard to Chelsea instead.

The 30-year-old Griezmann scored 133 times in 257 appearances during his first spell at Atletico.