ANTOINE GRIEZMANN is returning to Atletico Madrid, three years after sealing a move to La Liga rival Barcelona. Fabrizio Romano said Barca was working on signing Luuk de Jong from Sevilla, which put a damper on the idea of Joao Felix going the other way in a swap deal. The 30-year-old cost Barcelona more than US$130 million at the time, this loan with an obligation to buy likely to fall extremely short of that mark. Griezmann has a contract through the 2023-24 season and a seismic release clause, which seems so silly with Barca working so hard to shed salaries in an economic plight that cost them Lionel Messi and forced living legends Gerard Pique, Jordi Alba, and Sergio Busquets to take pay cuts. The French World Cup winner was La Liga’s Player of the Season in 2015-16, but his departure coincides with Atletico winning La Liga and Barca failing to claim a league title. He leaves Barcelona with 35 goals and 17 assists in 102 appearances. His best La Liga campaign with Barca includes 13 goals, shy of the 15+ goals he registered five times between Atletico and Real Sociedad. (SD-Agencies) | 