As always, the last day of a summer transfer window is one of last minute drama.
And the last one is called Antoine Griezmann.
While it was imagined that the departure of Lionel Messi for PSG would finally free the French international in Barcelona where he has too long been eclipsed by the aura of the Argentinian, Griezmann preferred to find his happiness in a flashback.
He will play this season at Atletico de Madrid, his previous club where he was loaned with option to buy.
At the Colchoneros, under the leadership of coach Diego Simeone, Griezmann had become a world-class player.
His departure marks the failure of his Barcelona bet.
For several months, the Mâconnais seemed happier in the selection, where he is currently to face Bosnia on Wednesday, than in club.
Returning to a club that had become Spanish champion without him can relaunch a career that seemed, at 30, to be skating.
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The three-cushion billiard shot was played after midnight, after the official close of the transfer market: Saul Niguez was loaned by Atlético Madrid to Chelsea, which freed up a place for Griezmann at the Madrilenians, for a one-season loan with an optional extra year, the two clubs said.
The agreement includes a purchase obligation at the end of the second season, estimated at 40 million euros by the Spanish media.
Third strip, “Grizou” himself has freed up a place for Sevilla striker Luuk de Jong at Barça.
Camavinga for 40 million, the nice shot of Real
If Griezmann will be able to see life in red and white, in France the tube of the summer transfer window in Ligue 1 will have been until the end "
In red and black
". The colors of Stade Rennais and OGC Nice. These two clubs have proven to be the most active in the transfer market. Not necessarily a surprise insofar as they are the property of two billionaires, François Pinault for the Breton club and the Englishman Jim Radcliffe, boss of the Ineos company, for the Azureans. Rennes will have added on the last day of the transfer window the departure of its young international hopeful Eduardo Camavinga who left for Real Madrid for 40 million euros while he had one year of contract left in France. born in Île-de-France ...
The Rennais were the most spendthrift, even ahead of PSG. If Paris spent 60 million on the only defender of Inter Milan Achraf Hakimi, Rennes exceeded this sum by enrolling seven players. In particular the French Baptiste Santamaria (Friborg, 14 million euros), Loïc Badé (Lens, 20 million euros) and Gaëtan Laborde (Montpellier, some 15 million euros), the Croatian Lovro Majer (Dinamo Zagreb, around 12 million euros) or Ghanaian Kamaldeen Sulemana (Nordsjaelland, 15 million euros).
For its part, Nice took out its orange card by enlisting three Dutch: Calvin Stengs (Alkmaar, 10 million euros), Pablo Rosario (PSV Eindhoven, 6 million euros) and Justin Kluivert (loan from AS Rome) .
The Aiglons have also offered themselves the former Marseille Mario Lemina (Southampton, 4 million euros) and the scorer of Montpellier Andy Delort (15 million euros).
Lyon gave the impression of suffering the events
The recruiters in Marseille have not been idle either.
With accounts closely monitored by the DNCG, the financial policeman of French football, they tried some more or less expensive bets such as the purchase of the side Pol Lirola (Fiorentina, 13 million euros) and the Brazilian Gerson (Santos, 20 million euros).
Even a club like Lyon, often active and intelligent in its choices, gave the impression of being subjected to the events, to the chagrin of its new coach, the Dutchman Peter Bosz.
OL let their best player, Memphis Depay in Barcelona, go free and failed to sell their leader Houssem Aouar.
Even if the Rhone club brought in the Swiss international from Liverpool Xherdan Shaqiri (6 million euros plus 5 bonus), he no longer has the same financial possibilities as before.
Even if he tried the bet to enlist Jérôme Boateng, the 2014 world champion at the end of his contract with Bayern Munich.
An operation that could finally be concluded in the coming hours.
AND ALSO…
Spain's Atletico Madrid international Saul Niguez has joined Chelsea on loan until the end of the 2021-22 season with an option to buy.
Spain international Pablo Sarabia has joined on loan until the end of the 2021-22 season with defending Portuguese champions Sporting, Paris SG announced on Wednesday shortly after the end of the summer season. transfers.
Paris Saint-Germain have recruited young Portuguese left-back Nuno Mendes, 19, on loan from Sporting for a year with an option to buy, the club announced on the night of Tuesday to Wednesday.
Lorient striker Pierre-Yves Hamel was loaned for a season without an option to buy at Clermont Foot, the Clermont club announced on Tuesday.
Saint-Etienne striker Charles Abi was loaned until the end of the season at Guingamp (L2) announced the clubs of Guingamp and Saint-Etienne.
The Uruguayan international striker Ignacio Ramirez of Liverpool FC Montevideo (1st Uruguayan div.) Has been loaned for one season, until June 30, 2022 at AS Saint-Etienne announced Tuesday the Saint-Etienne club, 16th in Ligue 1.
Stade Brestois announced on Tuesday the arrivals of midfielder Romain Del Castillo (Rennes), Senegalese striker Youssouph Badji (Bruges) and relay midfielder Lucien Agoumé (Inter Milan), while Romain Faivre, long started, is finally stayed.
Japan international defender Takehiro Tomiyasu has joined Arsenal from Bologna, the London club announced on Wednesday just after the summer transfer period ended.
