On transfer deadline day, Barcelona replaced Antoine Griezmann with Luuk de Jong. Barcelona informed Ronald Koeman that they intend to close the summer transfer window without replacing Antoine Griezmann. On deadline day, he returned to Atletico Madrid in another high-profile attacking exit after Lionel Messi signed a free transfer with Paris Saint-Germain.
Griezmann has returned to Atletico Madrid on a season-long loan with a purchase option, just two years after leaving in a £108 million move in July 2019. Barcelona sold 12 players during the summer season after president Joan Laporta stated the club was in debt to the tune of £1.15 billion. The wage cost for the La Liga heavyweights accounted for 103 percent of their entire income in mid-August, during a financial crisis that caused Messi's surprise exit.