Griezmann: I didn’t want to return to Barcelona
Karan Tejwani
- 11 Oct 2022 14:55 BST
- 3 min read
Antoine Griezmann’s long-standing transfer saga was finally resolved on Monday after it was confirmed that Atletico Madrid reached an agreement with Barcelona to make his loan move permanent.
The forward signed for Atletico Madrid on a two-year loan spell back in 2021, but Barcelona felt the capital club had met the clause to make the move for the Frenchman permanent.
However, Atletico Madrid were adamant it hadn’t been met, and they were reluctant to pay the €40 million fee agreed in the loan spell and wanted to negotiate new terms.
Those negotiations came to an end, and Griezmann officially signed for Atletico Madrid yesterday in a deal worth €20 million, with a further €4 million in future add-ons.
Related articles
Griezmann always wanted Atletico stay
Now, Griezmann has said he always wanted to make his return permanent and didn’t want to return to Barcelona once he signed on loan.
"I'm very happy because it's what I wanted since I returned," Griezmann said in a video published by Atletico on their social media networks.
"To stay at Atletico, enjoy being at the club, with the coach, my teammates, the stadium, the fans, I did everything possible to stay here.
"When I saw there was the chance to stay for many years, I spoke with the club. I knew what they wanted from me, I didn't think much. I didn't care what I had to do. The one thing I wanted was to stay here," Griezmann concluded.
Griezmann 🤝 Atlético. Until 2026 ❤️🤍@AntoGriezmann || @atletienglish || #UCL pic.twitter.com/gOEbdid5vi
— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) October 10, 2022
Griezmann spell at Barcelona was hardly fruitful after his €120 million move in 2019: he scored 35 goals in 102 appearances for Barcelona, winning the Copa del Rey with the Blaugrana in 2021.
He had to leave the club due to their financial issues and the return to Atletico was confirmed on a loan with a view to a permanent transfer later on.
So far this season, Griezmann has seen appearances limited due to Atletico Madrid unwilling to meet the transfer clause, but that issue has now been resolved, and he can play regularly.
