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What's the story?
After months of speculation, Barcelona have confirmed the signing of Antoine Griezmann from Atletico Madrid. The La Liga champions announced the signing by posting a video of the French superstar on their social media handles.
In case you didn't know...
Antoine Griezmann had signed a new contract with the Madrid-based club last summer. The contract had a release clause of £171 million which reduced to £107 million on 1st July this year.
The heart of the matter...
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Barcelona have dominated the La Liga over the last decade but they have only one Champions League title since 2019. In the last few seasons, Barcelona's attack seems to be over-dependent on Lionel Messi which puts more pressure on the legend.
The Catalan giants were actively trying to sign Griezmann so he can take the burden off the shoulders of Lionel Messi. Earlier in the summer, both Atletico Madrid and Antoine Griezmann had confirmed that the French striker will leave the Spanish capital.
The move seemed to have hit a roadblock when Atletico Madrid released an official statement where they alleged that Barcelona tried to convince their player to break his contract. Atletico Madrid had claimed that both Barcelona and Griezmann had disrespected the fans of Atletico with their actions.
Griezmann seemed to be intent on completing the move as he missed pre-season training with Atletico Madrid. Finally, the saga came to an end today as Griezmann's lawyer paid his release clause in La Liga's offices.
According to multiple sources, the French International has signed a five-year contract with the Catalan club with the release clause of €800 million. Atletico Madrid's transfer fee of £107 million makes him the second most expensive signing in the history of Barcelona after Philippe Coutinho.
What's next?
The inclusion of Antoine Griezmann makes Barcelona's forward line look even better as the 2018 World Cup winner will link up with Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez. The signing of the Frenchman raises doubts over the future of Ousmane Dembele and Philippe Coutinho.
