Atletico Madrid Beat Liverpool, Tottenham and Arsenal to Sign Real Sociedad Star Antoine Griezmann

Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal have suffered a colossal blow in their attempts to sign Antoine Griezmann from Real Sociedad after Atletico Madrid agree to pay the winger's release clause of €30m (£23.7m), according to the Spanish newspaper AS.

The report states that the deal was agreed between the two La Liga clubs on Saturday and an official announcement could be made as soon as personal terms are agreed with the player.

The 23-year-old had been linked with a move to the Premier League as the Reds reportedly showed interest alongside Chelsea and both the north London clubs.

Arsene Wenger is a long-term admirer of his compatriot but the Gunners's interest appears to have waned following Alexis Sanchez's arrival for £35m from Barcelona.

Recent reports suggested that Mauricio Pochettino launched a surprise £15m bid with hopes of adding Griezmann to his roster at White Hart Lane for the upcoming campaign.

But Sociedad rebuffed the former Southampton manager's approach and signalled intent to retain their academy product unless interested parties were ready to pay the price stipulated for facilitating a transfer this summer.

The AS report also claims that the Basque club's president Jokin Aperribay personally held talks and informed the French international about their decision to accept the reigning Spanish champions' offer.

Griezmann will become Diego Simeone's sixth summer arrival following Miguel Angel Moya, Angel Correa, Guilherme Siqueira, Jan Oblak and Mario Mandzukic.

The Spanish capital outfit are also reportedly to be leading the race for PSV Eindhoven star Zakaria Bakkali, who is also a target for Liverpool and Tottenham.

The Argentine manager praised Griezmann during a press conference in California where the Rojiblancos face MLS outfit San Jose Earthquakes.

"He is a very good player. He has a lot of speed and can give us a lot of options on the attack. But, it's true that that can be said of many players we've been linked with and with all of them, we could have two teams," the 44-year-old explained.

Griezmann made 35 appearances in La Liga last season scoring 16 times and grabbing three assists in the process. He was also part of the French squad for the World Cup featuring in all matches as Didier Deschamps's side bowed out in the quarterfinals.