Ammon News - In only one summer transfer window nearly everything has changed at Barcelona.

With over £1bn worth of debt, Barca embarked on a cost-cutting offload that saw captain and legend Lionel Messi move to Paris St-Germain.

Then on deadline day they let £107m signing Antoine Griezmann rejoin rivals Atletico on loan - the 11th player to leave the club this summer.

Coming the other way was former Newcastle striker Luuk de Jong, joining on a season-long loan from Sevilla.

It is the second successive season that Barca have strengthened their rivals. Last season Luis Suarez fired Atletico to the title after joining from Barcelona.

Barcelona's forwards now consist of new signings: Dutch forward Memphis Depay, former Manchester City striker Sergio Aguero, on-loan Austrian teenager Yusuf Demir, De Jong, plus Denmark striker Martin Braithwaite and the injured 18-year-old Ansu Fati, who has been given Messi's iconic number 10 shirt.

Barca will pay 31-year-old De Jong's salary this season and have an option to make the Netherland international's stay permanent next summer.

Atletico take on Griezmann's salary this term, but there is a compulsory clause to make the transfer permanent.

Griezmann was the third transfer deadline day sale from Barcelona. Right-back Emerson Royal joined Tottenham for £25.8m and teenage midfielder Ilaix Moriba moved to RB Leipzig for £13.7m.

Griezmann's departure came two weeks after Barcelona president Joan Laporta revealed the Spanish club is 1.35bn euros (£1.15bn) in debt.

Barcelona's wage bill in mid-August accounted for 103% of their total income.

It was "financial and structural obstacles" relating to La Liga spending rules which saw record six-time Ballon d'Or winner Messi leave Barcelona after agreeing a new deal to stay.

Barca's all-time top goalscorer went on to join PSG on a free transfer in early August.

Laporta said keeping Messi could have put the club at risk for 50 years.

Griezmann himself scored just 35 goals in 102 games and managed to win only the Copa del Rey in his two seasons with Barca.

The France striker returns to Atletico where he scored 133 goals in 257 games and won the Europa League, Uefa Super Cup and Spanish Super Cup.

The only money Barca spent to bring in a player on a permanent deal during the summer transfer window was to exercise their option to call Emerson back from Betis for a reported 9m euros, only to offload him for a substantial profit.

De Jong, who scored 19 goals in 93 games for Sevilla after moving to La Liga from PSV Eindhoven in the summer of 2019, is the fourth forward to join Barca this summer after compatriot Depay, Aguero and Demir.

Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba agreeing to salary reductions on Tuesday ensured Aguero could be registered and helped "to extend the club's limit with regards to financial fair play regulations."

Gerard Pique did the same earlier in the summer to allow Depay and former City defender Eric Garcia to be registered.

*BBC