LaLiga: Barcelona sign Antoine Griezmann on five-year contract in € 120 million deal; Atletico Madrid state amount is 'insufficient'

France’s World Cup winner Antoine Griezmann has finally completed his long-awaited move to Barcelona from Atletico Madrid, the La Liga giants announced on Friday. “FC Barcelona has paid the 120 million euro buyout clause to release Antoine Griezmann from Atlético Madrid. The player will sign a contract with his new club for the next five seasons, through to 30 June 2024, with a buyout clause of 800 million euros,” said Barcelona, in a statement issued on their website.

You were waiting for this. pic.twitter.com/vVR0Prmy0b

— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) July 12, 2019

However, Atletico Madrid argued that the 120 million euros ($135 million) Barcelona paid for Griezmann was “insufficient” and that he had “unilaterally” broken his contract. “Atletico Madrid considers that the amount paid is insufficient to meet the release clause as it is obvious that the agreement between the player and Barcelona had been concluded before the release clause dropped from 200 million euros to 120 million euros,” the club said in a statement. Griezmann failed to show up for his side’s pre-season gathering on Sunday after he had announced in May he would be leaving the Wanda Metropolitano but could not reveal his destination until his release clause dropped from 200 million euros to 120 million euros on 1 July. On Friday, Atletico also accused Barcelona and Griezmann of a “lack of respect” after the Barca president Josep Maria Bartomeu revealed the two clubs had held talks about the former Real Sociedad forward. Atletico also claimed that Griezmann had told the club that he had struck a deal with Barcelona in March, just days before the second leg of their Champions League last-16 tie with Juventus, which saw them dumped out by a Cristiano Ronaldo hat-trick after winning the first leg 2-0 in Madrid. Griezmann joined Atletico in 2014 and scored 133 goals in 257 appearances for Los Rojiblancos_,_ lifting the Copa del Rey as well as the Europa League. With inputs from Agencies.