Atletico Madrid confirm permanent transfer of Antoine Griezmann from Barcelona

Atletico Madrid confirmed they have agreed on a deal to sign French striker Antoine Griezmann permanently from Barcelona, on a contract until 2026.

Griezmann has been on loan at Atletico since August 2021 after a difficult spell at Camp Nou, following his 120 million euro (116.5 million dollar) move in 2019.

“Griezmann has signed a deal that links him to our club until June 30, 2026,” said Atletico in a statement.

The 2018 World Cup winner was a key figure in coach Diego Simeone’s plans last season but has largely been reduced to substitute appearances in the current campaign as Atletico tried to escape paying a reported obligatory 40 million euro purchase fee if he played over a certain number of games.

Atletico and Barcelona negotiated a new deal with Barcelona president Joan Laporta confirming the fee during the club’s members’ assembly on Sunday. “It is for 20 million euros plus four more in variables,” said Laporta.

“There is another clause in the deal to sell the player, which is that if Atletico decide to sell him in the future they will have to pay us the difference that remains, up to the value of the 40 million which was agreed before.”

Griezmann has played 303 times for the club, scoring 144 goals, across his two stints in the capital.

He netted 35 goals in 102 appearances for Barcelona, winning the Copa del Rey there in 2021.

‘Atletico Madrid has been one of my dreams’ – Arsenal loanee Torreira open to permanent stay in Spain

The midfielder says he is delighted to be playing for the Liga side while reflecting on last season with the Gunners

On-loan midfielder Lucas Torreira says he is open to a permanent move to Atletico Madrid after dealing with some “personal problems” during his time with Arsenal.

Torreira moved to Arsenal in 2018, signing from Sampdoria in a deal worth £26 million (€30m/$34m).

However, the signing of Thomas Partey from Atletico Madrid paved the way for Torreira to head the other way, with the Uruguayan set to spend at least one season with the Spanish side.

Atleti has long been a landing spot for some of Uruguay‘s best, with Diego Godin, Diego Forlan, Jose Gimenez and Luis Suarez all representing the club. Torreira is the latest in that list, and he says playing for the club is a dream come true.

“I know that I am a year on loan,” Torreira told Ovacion Digital. “I’ve been there for four or five days and it seems like it’s a lot, because I’ve been treated very well.

“It is a new opportunity in my life, in which I have fought a lot, because Atlético has always been one of my dreams, one of my goals as a team, and being able to achieve it at the age of 24 is something very important.

“It all depends on how I go during the season, which I hope is very good, and maybe in the future I can stay in the club.”

The midfielder made his Atleti debut against Celta Vigo, starting in what ended up as a 2-0 win for his new side.

Torreira went on to admit that he was not pleased with his last season at Arsenal, which saw him make 39 appearances in all competitions. He attributed part of those struggles to personal problems, but he is hoping his move to Atletico Madrid can help him refocus and rediscover his best.

“This last season at Arsenal, on a personal level, has not been good for me at all,” he added. “I have suffered a lot of things, I have had a lot of personal problems and more than anything my family also suffered.

“With this adventure [at Atletico] everyone is very happy. The most important thing is to be able to enjoy on the pitch, to be able to help teammates and make the fans happy, because in the end, football is just that.”