Barcelona confirm four deals on deadline day after late move for forward

Barcelona confirmed four deals on transfer deadline day, which included three outgoings and with one player joining the club. Antoine Griezmann was the biggest name to leave the club on deadline day with the Frenchman rejoining former club Atletico Madrid on a season-long loan.

The Catalan giants also bid adieu to summer arrival Emerson Royal, who joined Tottenham Hotspur on a permanent deal, while the Ilaix Moriba saga also reached its conclusion after the midfielder agreed a permanent move to Red Bull Leipzig in Germany. Luuk de Jong was the sole arrival on loan from Sevilla.

Barcelona's main focus this summer was to slash their over-inflated wage bill owing to which they could not retain the club's talisman Lionel Messi, who joined Paris Saint-Germain. The La Liga outfit had made a number of first-team stars available for transfer, but were unable to offload all of them prior to Tuesday's deadline.

Griezmann was not expected to leave in the days leading up to the transfer deadline, but a late move from Atletico and Barcelona's need to slash their wage bill saw the 2018 World Cup winner reunite with Diego Simeone. The 30-year-old has moved on a season-long loan, which can be extended for a further year.

"FC Barcelona and Atlético Madrid have reached an agreement for the loan of Antoine Griezmann for a season with the option of a further season. The Madrid club will pay the player's wages and there is a compulsory permanent transfer clause," a statement from the Catalan club read.

Griezmann joined Barcelona from Atletico in 2019 after they triggered the Frenchman's £107 million clause. He failed to replicate the form he showed at the Wanda Metropolitano at Camp Nou, managing just 35 goals in 102 games with just one trophy to show - the Copa del Rey.

The France international was linked with a move to Atletico earlier in the summer as part of a swap involving Saul Niguez, but the move broke down in the late stages. Barcelona will certainly be glad to get Griezmann's wages off the books, as he was the highest earner at the club following the departure of Messi.

Barcelona also bid farewell to right-back Royal, who was only unveiled by president Joan Laporta 29 days back. The president was hoping for a long stay for the Brazilian before accepting a £25.7 million offer from the north London club on deadline day.

And finally, the Catalan club's ongoing contract saga with Moriba came to a conclusion after Leipzig agreed to meet the midfielder's €15 million (£12.8m) valuation. The Spain youth international, who was highly rated at the Camp Nou, agreed a five year deal with the German Bundesliga club.

Amidst all the outgoings, Ronald Koeman finally got a striker to join the club after they agreed a loan deal for Dutch forward De Jong from Sevilla. The forward will spend the 2021-22 season at the Camp Nou with the club having an option to make his deal permanent next summer.

The 31-year-old was certainly not the manager's first choice, but the duo know each other from their time together with the Dutch national team. De Jong was part of the Netherlands squad that won the UEFA Nations League under Koeman's stewardship.