Barcelona sign Antoine Griezmann from Atletico Madrid for €120 million

Barcelona have signed World Cup-winning striker Antoine Griezmann from La Liga rivals Atlético Madrid after activating the Frenchman’s €120 release clause.

The 28-year-old will sign a five-year contract with the Catalan club with a buy-out clause of a massive €800 million.

Griezmann has spent the past five seasons with the Madrid giants and helped them to Europa League success in 2018 and a Champions League final two years previously.

He came through the ranks with Basque club Real Sociedad, having joined at the age of 14 from French club Maconnais.

In his first season of senior football in 2010, Griezmann helped the club to promotion back to the top tier of Spanish football as Segunda Division champions.

After helping Sociedad make the group stages of the Champions League for the first time in ten years, Griezmann joined Atlético for €30 million in the summer of 2014.

He earned his first senior cap the same year and was selected to represent France at that summer’s World Cup, helping them to the quarter-finals.

Griezmann was part of Les Blues’ squad for the 2016 European Championships on home soil, helping Didier Deschamps’ side to the final, where they were edged out by Portugal

Nevertheless, Griezmann’s star continued to rise and his six goals, including two in the last 16 comeback win over Ireland, earned him the golden boot and player of the tournament.

He went one better in 2018 as France lifted the World Cup in Russia, Griezmann’s four goals earning him the silver boot as he scored and was named man of the match in the 4-2 final win over Croatia.