Barcelona have signed Antoine Griezmann from Atletico Madrid after meeting his €120m buyout clause, which megasportsarena.com learned sees the French striker complete a move worth £108m to Camp Nou.
The La Liga champions have been courting the Frenchman for the past two summers and have now finally landed their man after paying his release clause in full.
The forward, who was pictured on a boat during his holiday in Ibiza on Friday, has signed on the dotted line for Barcelona on a five-year deal, which includes an eye-watering buyout clause of £717m.
Sportsmail reports that The 28-year-old will now join Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez to form a deadly trident at the top of the pitch for Barcelona.
Griezmann, who had expressed a desire to leave Atletico Madrid earlier this summer, came close to joining Barcelona last year before making a dramatic U-turn to sign a new contract.
Griezmann’s signing is expected to end speculation of Neymar making a sensational return to Barcelona this summer.
The Brazilian has been heavily linked with a move back to Barcelona from Paris Saint-Germain, but it is now highly unlikely that the Catalans will press ahead with a deal.
Barcelona were always the front-runners to sign the 2018 World Cup winner despite interest from Manchester United, but bided their time to make an offer with Griezmann’s release clause dropping from £180m to £108m at the start of this month.
Atletico have been busy preparing themselves for Griezmann’s exit by making seven signings already in the window, including the £114m acquisition of teenage sensation Joao Felix, who was brought in to replace the Frenchman.
Despite the understandable attention the Greizmann transfer saga has brought, reports in Spain have suggested he will not be officially presented to fans.
Griezmann had angered a large section of Barcelona supporters after having a change of heart last summer to instead sign a new long-term deal at Atletico.
Marca claim Barcelona have deliberately scheduled his unveiling to coincide with the relaying of the Nou Camp pitch next month, meaning no fans will be allowed inside the stands.
The nearby Mini Estadi has also been ruled out as an alternative venue to welcome Griezmann to Barcelona as it is currently hosting the Cirque du Soleil show.
Despite Barcelona’s decision not to present Griezmann, their marquee summer signing, the club remain confident that the France international will be accepted and become a hit with their fans.