Barcelona confirm Sh14 billion Antoine Griezmann transfer

The 28-year-old forward had been expected to join the Catalan giants ever since he announced he would be leaving Atletico in May [Courtesy]

Barcelona have confirmed the Sh14 billion transfer of Antoine Griezmann from Atletico Madrid after paying his buyout clause.

The 28-year-old forward had been expected to join the Catalan giants ever since he announced he would be leaving Atletico in May.

The Spanish side's capture of Joao Felix from Benfica for a fee of Sh15 billion only added to the rumours that Griezmann would be moving on, and Barcelona broke the news on Friday afternoon when they released a video of the player in a Barca shirt along with the caption "You were waiting for this."

Griezmann will sign a contract that runs until June 2024 and is expected to earn around £15m a year, a big increase on what he was taking home at Atletico.

The deal may spell the end for Philippe Coutinho at the Nou Camp. The Brazilian struggled for form in his first season following his move from Liverpool last summer, and he may struggle to break into the first-team, with Griezmann likely to be in front of him in the pecking order.

It is not clear what the move means for any potential return to the club for Neymar. The Brazilian star is reportedly desperate to re-join his old team having grown disillusioned with life at Paris Saint-Germain.

However, with an array of attacking talent already at the club which includes Griezmann, Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Coutinho, there may be question marks over whether Barcelona necessarily need Neymar, and also whether they can afford him having splashed out of Griezmann, Frenkie de Jong, Neto and Emerson already this summer.

It is not yet clear what shirt number Griezmann will wear at the Nou Camp, although there have been rumours he could take the number seven currently occupied by Coutinho, which is what he wore at Atletico.