Chelsea And Tottenham Hotspur Lose Out as Antoine Griezmann Agrees £24m Move to Atlético Madrid

Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur have been dealt blows after transfer target Antoine Griezmann completed a move to Atlético Madrid.

Tottenham thought they were in the driving seat to land the 23-year-old French international but were gazumped by the Spanish champions.

Spurs had a £15m bid turned down by Real Sociedad, opening the door for Atlético boss Diego Simeone to launch a reported £24m counter offer for the midfielder.

Griezmann was thrown a World Cup berth by manager Didier Deschamps after Bayern Munich winger Frank Ribery failed to recover from back injury in time for the tournament.

He was a constant presence on the left flank for Les Bleus, who were eventually knocked out of the competition by eventual winners Germany at the quarter-final stage.

Chelsea was also interested in Griezmann but their interest is was said to have waned after signing £16m attacking defender Filipe Luis from Atlético.

On their official club website, the La Liga champions, who activated a release clause in the player's contract, said: "Atlético Madrid and Real Sociedad have reached an agreement for the transfer of Antoine Griezmann.

"The young French footballer will sign a contract with our teams once he passes his medical."

Griezmann joined Real Sociedad in 2005 before breaking into the first team four years later.

Manchester United and Arsenal were thought to be monitoring the left-winger until he committed to Sociedad in 2010.

A confident dribbler, with an eye for goal, Griezmann scored 49 goals in 179 appearances.

Sociedad said in a statement: "The player has the permission of Real Sociedad to undergo his medical in Madrid.

"Real Sociedad want to thank Antoine Griezmann for the professionalism and dedication he has shown during his time at our club and, at the same time, wish him the best for the future."