Atletico Madrid forward Antoine Griezmann was heavily linked with a move to Premier League this summer with likes of Manchester United and Chelsea willing to pay beyond £60million to complete his transfer. However, the Frenchman has snubbed a chance to move to England and instead signed a 5-year contract extension with the La Liga giants.
Griezmann’s new contract runs until 2021 and has a release clause of €100million, according to Atletico's official sources. It means that if any club is planning to sign him, they would first need to put £76million up front to stand any chance to take him away from Vicente Calderon.
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Soon after penning the new deal, Griezmann thanked the club supporters for being the best fans and vowed to give is his all in the coming seasons. The 25-year old striker revealed his commitment to Atletico’s future plans and promised to continue his goal-scoring spree.
Speaking with atleticomadrid.com, Griezmann said: "I'm very satisfied, very happy to keep belonging to this family and this project. "Personally, I'd like to score more goals, have more time and matches to play, assist more... My goal is always to be better than the last season.
"I can only thank them for all the support they're always giving to the team, and ask them to keep supporting us like they've done until this moment.”
Griezmann has been one of the most important players for Diego Simeone after scoring 22 goals in each of the last two La Liga seasons. Since his move from Real Sociedad, the French striker has helped Atletico to two Champions League finals where they were twice beaten by their city rivals – Real Madrid.
Griezmann is currently on Euro 2016 duty with France. Les Blues are through to the knockout rounds and will face Ireland in the round of 16 later this week. Following the European Championship, Griezmann will team up with his club-mates to prepare for the most important season in Atletico’s recent history.
Despite all the rumours, Los Rojiblancos look set to keep hold of all their big-name stars and will be a worthy candidate for the La Liga title next season. Atletico have already completed Nicolas Gaitan’s move this summer and with Griezmann signing the new 5-year deal, one expects the other team from Madrid to create quite a nuisance next season.
What next for Man United and Chelsea?
Given the money they have, Premier League clubs are expected to be the most active ones during the summer transfer window. Griezmann was tipped to be one of the high-value targets for both Man United and Chelsea.
However, with him extending his La Liga stay, Manchester United and Chelsea need to act swiftly in order to sign new targets before the start of next season.
Gonzalo Higuain could be an option for the Premier League giants as the Argentine International is itching for a move away from Napoli. Speaking of new strikers coming to England this summer, Zlatan Ibrahimovic remains a viable option as well with Manchester United heavily linked with the 34-year old.
Zlatan is yet to decide on his future but recent reports from the media have indicated towards his move to Old Trafford sooner rather than later.
