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Antoine Griezmann is set to return to Atletico Madrid on deadline day after making a deal with Barcelona to re-sign the French striker.
According to Sky in Italy, the two La Liga rivals reached an agreement on Tuesday night for the 2018 World Cup winner to return to Wanda Metropolitano on a season-long loan with a purchase obligation for £ 34.4million (40 million euros) next year.
Atleti was able to move for the 30-year-old after sanctioning Saul Niguez’s potential departure from Chelsea on a first loan with option to buy worth a total of £ 33.5million (€ 39million) .
Diego Simeone is yearning for a new striker and the Frenchman would have no trouble settling down as he previously worked under the Argentinian between 2014 and 2019.
Both clubs only have a few hours to complete their business as the Spanish window closes at 11 p.m. UK time.
Barcelona are already on the hunt for a potential replacement should the move happen, with Sevilla’s Luuk de Jong on their radar.
Griezmann has scored 22 goals in 74 appearances for Barcelona so far
The Catalan giants have tried to cut their payrolls this summer amid debts amounting to £ 1.15bn, as club chairman Joan Laporta confirmed earlier in August.
The financial difficulties reported by the club meant that they were unable to offer Lionel Messi a new contract, which resulted in his shock exit to Paris Saint-Germain on a free transfer.
On Tuesday, the club announced that mainstays Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba had agreed to a pay cut in order to help the club’s financial fair play parameters and ensure that new signing Sergio Aguero could be officially registered with the League. Spanish Football Association (LFP).
Sergio Aguero was officially registered as a new Barcelona player on Tuesday after Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba agreed to cut their wages.
Earlier in the summer, Gerard Pique made a similar move to allow Memphis Depay and Eric Garcia to be ratified as Barcelona players.
Griezmann initially left Atletico for Barcelona in 2019 at the end of a long transfer saga after his £ 103million (€ 120million) release clause had been paid in full.
A year earlier he appeared in a documentary with the Spanish TV channel Movistar called “The Decision” that followed him as he chose to stay at Atletico despite interest from Barcelona.
Follow the deadline with Sky Sports
Time is running out for clubs to do business – the summer transfer window ends at 11pm in England and midnight in Scotland on Tuesday August 31st and you can follow all the Deadline Day drama with Air sports.
Follow all the latest transfer news and rumors in our dedicated Transfer Center blog on the Sky Sports website and app, check out the latest deals and watch the best analyzes and reactions on Sky Sports News.
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