Antoine Griezmann Move to Barcelona Confirmed by Atletico CEO as Frenchman Nears Summer Exit
Antoine Griezmann is set to join Barcelona from Atletico Madrid this summer after the club's CEO Gil Marin 'confirmed' the La Liga champions to be the Frenchman's next destination.
Having announced his decision to leave the Rojiblancos in a move dubbed 'La Decision 2.0' last month, with various European sides vying for the World Cup winner's signature.
Antoine Griezmann to Barcelona, here we go! Gil Marin, Atlético Madrid CEO, has just confirmed the deal: “We know since last March that Griezmann is going to Barcelona”, he told to Sport. The agreement is reached as… https://t.co/qY7trv3XUZ
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) June 12, 2019
All rumours can be put to bed now it seems, with Marin telling Sport, via Sky Italia reporter Fabrizio Romano, that an 'agreement' has been reached that will see Griezmann join the Catalan outfit. The CEO went on to state that the deal had been in the pipeline since March, with what is expected just to have been paper work holding up an announcement until now.
The seemingly imminent move will put and end to a five-year stay in the Spanish capital for the striker, during which time he netted 133 goals in 257 outings for Diego Simeone's men.
Rumours were rife last summer about an initial transfer to the Blaugrana for the 28-year-old, who eventually revealed his decision to stay in the capital after releasing a video directed by soon-to-be teammate Gerard Pique's company.
Fier d’être français 🎖🇫🇷
— Antoine Griezmann (@AntoGriezmann) June 4, 2019
📸 Alain Mounic / L’Équipe pic.twitter.com/nuve8X5N9b
This season Griezmann was linked with a return to his native France to sign for Lique 1 champions Paris Sain-Germain, as well as Premier League side Manchester United, but the news cemented by the club's CEO spells the end of what has been months of wild speculation.
Griezmann's departure is just one of a flurry of player exits from the Wanda Metropolitano this summer, with a whole host of key players leaving Atletico such as Lucas Hernandez, Diego Godin and Juanfran.