Antoine Griezmann heading to Atletico Madrid, Luuk de Jong expected to sign Barcelona

Antoine Griezmann of Barcelona-La Liga-29.08.2021
Antoine Griezmann of Barcelona-La Liga-29.08.2021

Antoine Griezmann heading to Atletico Madrid

Atletico Madrid have agreed on a deal to sign Antoine Griezmann from Barcelona.

The 30-year-old Frenchman is set to return to Atletico on a loan deal and the Spanish champions will have an option to sign him permanently at the end of this season for a fee of around €40 million.

Griezmann has had a mixed time since his €120 million move to Barcelona and the player was being linked with an exit for months now.

The attacker will now be hoping for a fresh start at his former club and it will be interesting to see if he can recapture his peak form under Diego Simeone once again.

Atletico Madrid have strengthened their attack considerably this summer with the signing of Matheus Cunha and the arrival of Griezmann could take them to a whole new level.

It will be interesting to see if the La Liga giants are able to defend their domestic crown once again.

Barcelona and Real Madrid are both in a vulnerable position having lost key players and this is a glorious opportunity for Simeone and Atletico Madrid to win the league title once again.

With the departure of Griezmann, Barcelona’s attack has been weakened severely especially now that they are without Lionel Messi.

It will be interesting to see if the Catalan giants can rebuild the side and compete for the league title this season.

The departure of Griezmann is hardly surprising because Barcelona are under immense financial pressure and they needed to reduce their wage bill by getting rid of some of their top earners.

As far as Atletico Madrid are concerned, they are likely to offset the cost of Griezmann’s arrival with the departure of Saul Niguez on loan to Chelsea.

The 26-year-old is heading to the Premier League on loan and the Blues will have an option to sign him permanently next summer.

Barcelona closing in on Luuk de Jong

Meanwhile, Barcelona are in talks with Sevilla regarding a summer transfer for Luuk de Jong.

The Dutch forward is expected to come in as a replacement for Antoine Griezmann and it will be interesting to see if the Catalan giants can get the deal over the line before the transfer window slams shut.

De Jong would be an underwhelming replacement for the French World Cup winner and it remains to be seen how the fans react to the transfer.

The Dutchman has scored just 19 goals in his 94 matches with Sevilla and it is evident that a club of Barcelona’s stature should be aiming higher.

With Sergio Aguero currently sidelined, Barcelona will need a reliable goalscorer to lead the line in the coming weeks. De Jong will be under pressure to settle in quickly and make an immediate impact.