French striker Antoine Griezmann has confirmed that the transfer ban imposed on Atletico Madrid was the reason why he didn't leave the club this summer.
The 26-year-old was one of Jose Mourinho's primary target for the summer.
But he decided to stay in the Spanish Liga as a sign of his loyalty and commitment to the club.
"I stayed mainly because of the transfer ban," Griezmann told FourFourTwo Magazine.
"Atletico needed me more now than ever.
"I felt I had to stay. It would be dirty to leave. I wouldn't have been myself, or the person that I feel I am today, if I had left this club in that way. I have got too much respect for this club and the people in it to leave now.
"[Next year?] To be honest, I don't know. I'm going to be here next season, after that we'll see.
"It's absurd to talk about something more than a year away."
