Barcelona have signed Antoine Griezmann from Atletico Madrid for €120 million after paying the forward’s release clause on Friday, July 12, 2019,.
Griezmann has signed a five-year contract with the Catalan club and has been given a release clause of €800 million.
The France forward had been close to signing for Barcelona last summer, but changed his mind and announced his decision to stay at the club in a documentary aired at the start of the World Cup.
That change of heart meant Barcelona were reluctant to go back in for the 28-year-old, but they were given assurances by the player that he would be willing to move to Camp Nou this summer.
Atletico later found out their player had agreed in principle to join Barcelona back in March and Griezmann was asked to film a video explaining his decision to fans, which was posted on their official channels in May.
As part of the new contract he signed last summer at Atletico, Griezmann’s release clause was set at €200 million, dropping to €120 million on July 1 on the player’s request.
Barcelona had hoped to pay the sum in instalments and that upset Atletico, the Rojiblancos releasing a strongly worded statement last Friday in which they hit out at the Blaugrana and also Griezmann.
In it, they rejected Barcelona’s terms for payment of the clause in instalments and told Griezmann he was expected to report to pre-season training on Sunday.
But the player chose instead to remain on holiday in Ibiza, believing he was entitled to 30 days off anyway.
In the meantime, Barcelona have been working to find the funds to settle the entire fee up front and the clause was finally paid at La Liga’s offices in Madrid.
Griezmann wore the ’7’ shirt at Atletico and also at Real Sociedad before that, but that number is currently occupied by Philippe Coutinho at Barcelona.
Barcelona’s new signing will inherit that shirt if Coutinho ends up leaving the club this summer, while the Brazilian could also change to another number if he ends up staying for next season.
Read more at Guardian
