Forward Antoine Griezmann has joined his former club Atletico Madrid from FC Barcelona on a season-long loan, both clubs announced on Tuesday. The loan deal, which was completed during a dramatic transfer deadline day, is worth €10 million ($12 million). This includes an option for Atletico to purchase Griezmann for €40 million ($47 million) once the loan expires.
According to Atletico Madrid, the loan includes an option to extend for another year; a viable alternative to purchasing the French national.
Griezmann originally left Atletico in favor of a move to FC Barcelona in 2019, for the astronomical fee of €120 million. He has since struggled to adapt to life at the Camp Nou, scoring La Liga 22 goals over two seasons.
In order to fill the void that Griezmann would leave behind due to his departure, Barca manager Ronald Koeman decided to strike a loan deal with Sevilla for striker Luuk de Jong.
Prior to striking the deal for de Jong, Barcelona entertained the idea of bringing either Saul Niguez or Joao Felix to the club in a swap deal with Atletico. Ultimately, the Atletico board was unwilling to let Felix depart the club, while Saul completed a season-long loan to Premier League club Chelsea.
