The final whistle had just been given and yet the transfer window came to confirm a major surprise.

Antoine Griezmann, who left Atlético Madrid in 2019 to join FC Barcelona, ​​will do the opposite after a mixed Catalan experience.

The three-cushion billiard shot was played after midnight: Saul Niguez was loaned by Atlético Madrid to Chelsea, which freed up a place for Griezmann, on a one-season loan with an additional year in option, announced the two clubs.

The agreement includes a purchase obligation at the end of the second season, estimated at 40 million euros by the Spanish media.

Third strip, “Grizou” himself has freed up a place for Sevilla striker Luuk de Jong at Barça.

A return to the bitter taste

Currently with the France team for the international window in September, Griezmann managed his transfer from Clairefontaine.

This is the biggest operation of this hot last day of the summer transfer window for the Catalans, who have done everything to downsize their workforce and free up payroll.

For Griezmann, this return to Atlético tastes bitter.

The one who is one of the most expensive transfers in the history of the Blaugrana club (120 million euros) has never shown the level he had displayed under the colors of Atlético.

In the shadow of Lionel Messi, he never found his place, and offered only brief glimpses of his talent.

In two seasons at Barça, Griezmann has won only one Copa del Rey (2021), while he lifted three trophies during his time at Atlético (2014-2019): a Spanish Supercup (2014) , but above all a Europa League and a European Supercup in 2018.

Hissed and booed

His return to the Spanish capital promises to be tense: for its premiere at the Wanda-Metropolitano, on December 1, 2019, “Grizou” was whistled and booed at each touch of the ball, and Rojiblancos supporters had deployed a banner “You wanted make a name for yourself, but you forgot to be a man ”. It must be said that on June 14, 2018, just before winning the second star for France at the World Cup in Russia, Griezmann announced in the documentary

The Decision

that he was going to stay at Atlético ... then a year later, he had refused to show up for training and ended up leaving the club. A turnaround experienced as a betrayal by the supporters.

Two years after his departure, however, little has changed at Atlético, where stability reigns supreme: the totem coach Diego Simeone is still there, and the Argentine still appreciates the sense of the game and collective sacrifice. of the tricolor "Little Prince".

With this reinforcement of weight, the club is therefore asserting itself as a serious contender for a double in the league, or even a more than credible candidate in the Champions League.

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