Barcelona Transfer News: Blaugrana trigger Antoine Griezmann's €120 million release clause

What's the story?

According to L'Équipe, Barcelona have finally triggered the €120 million release clause in Antoine Griezmann's contract on Thursday, 11th July.

Barcelona have courted Griezmann for over a year now and his move to the Catalan giants is only a formality now, as the Spanish champions agreed personal terms with Frenchman as early as March.

In case you didn't know...

Griezmann's move to Barcelona was the worst kept secret of the summer and after Atletico Madrid accused them of illegal approach earlier this month, the reining Spanish Champions have finally agreed to pay his release clause.

Atletico Madrid released a strongly worded statement on their website, accusing Barcelona and Griezmann of disrespecting the club as the Spanish giants requested for more time in order to pay the release clause amount.

Griezmann was fined by Atleti for failing to report for pre-season and with Barcelona's move for Neymar intensifying in recent days, the Frenchman's dream move was hanging by a thread.

The heart of the matter...

L'Équipe have revealed that Barcelona have indeed triggered Griezmann's release clause and one of the biggest transfer saga's of the summer seems to be heading to its climax.

The Rojiblancos have already drafted in a replacement, with teenage sensation Joao Felix joining for a record breaking fee of €126 million and have made a massive profit on the Frenchman, who they signed for a meagre €30 million in the summer of 2014.

Griezmann came to the Spanish capital with a reputation and enhanced it further with consistent performances as Atleti went on to win the Europa League in his time at the club.

What's next?

After Barcelona officially paid the €120 million release clause, Griezmann's move to the Catalan club is only a formality, after personal terms were agreed as early as March.

Griezmann's capture comes as a welcome boost for the Barcelona as they look to compete on all fronts and more importantly, the Frenchman will look to spearhead them to Champions League glory next season.