Griezmann's shock Atletico Madrid return was almost derailed by IT issues

Details have now started to emerge around the shock transfer of the summer window, as Antoine Griezmann sealed a return to Atletico Madrid at the eleventh hour.

Much confusion shrouded the controversial homecoming of the Frenchman, who it has been revealed was left very much in the dark until the early hours of the morning, not knowing whether his transfer would even be completed despite the deadline having long passed.

French publication L'Equipe have gone through the transfer saga with a fine comb and established a series of facts which outline how the agreement only just got over the line.

The report states that Barcelona director of football Mateu Alemany had assured Griezmann earlier in the summer that he would be retained for the coming season and used as the focal point in attack.

This soon changed however when the Spanish giants quickly began to panic because a new deal could not be handed to Lionel Messi - who later had no option but to depart the club as a free agent and went on to join Paris Saint-Germain.

It is reported that Barca chief Alemany sounded out Atletico after being told by Griezmann's representatives that this was the only club he wished to join, giving cash-strapped Barca the option to shift his eye-watering weekly wages in the region of £345,000 off the books.

Removing Griezmann from the squad enabled Barca to make a late play for Sevilla striker Luuk de Jong, who joined the club on deadline day to provide cover.

Griezmann's switch however would be far from simple, with LaLiga having to get involved after Barca reportedly complained of IT issues preventing them from viewing the 30-page loan documents.

Ultimately the issues were resolved and the contract reached Griezmann's party - after being formalised by Barca - at around 11.50pm.

The Frenchman's lawyer, sensing the need for haste, is said to have quickly sent the documents back just three minutes later. A period of uncertainty would follow however, leaving Griezmann very much in the dark while away on international duty with France.

L'Equipe claim that from 11.54pm to midnight (central European time), both clubs entered the details of the deal onto La Liga’s website just in time.

The loan was still not officially confirmed by midnight, although La Liga authorities decided to wait another twenty minutes and permit additional time for the transaction to be completed, giving leeway to the clubs amid technical issues.

It is said that at half-past midnight, with the European transfer window well and truly closed, Griezmann still had no clear indication as to what would happen and whether things had been processed in time.

Earlier in the evening, prior to Barca's technical issues, they had been knocked back by Atletico in their attempts of getting Portugal starlet Joao Felix included in the deal.

It was only until the early hours of the morning that Griezmann received the green light that his return to Atleti had been rubberstamped, with both clubs confirming the deal publicly the following day.