What’s the story?
Atletico Madrid’s Antoine Griezmann is reportedly unsettled at the club and wants a move to Manchester United over the summer. But the president of the Spanish club Enrique Cerezo has rubbished talks of the striker moving to United and even went as far as to insult the Red Devils status as a club.
When asked by the press over his potential exit he replied, “Manchester United? Small team. I believe in the contracts that people sign, that goes for [Diego] Simeone and Griezmann.”
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The president seems to have a lot of confidence over the future of his star but he might face repercussions over his comments on the Red Devils.
In case you didn't know...
Antoine Griezmann has been in Spain since he was 14 despite being a French national. The forward started his career with Real Sociedad making 180 appearances for the club before Atletico Madrid snapped him up.
Griezmann is also very good friends with Paul Pogba and has expressed his desire to play with him in the future. He was also the top scorer in the Euros but could not help France win the tournament as hosts.
The heart of the matter
Manchester United and Jose Mourinho have identified Antoine Griezmann as the player to lead the line next season. Zlatan Ibrahimovic has done a brilliant job so far but he is already 35 and cannot carry on forever.
An advisor of the club also stated that Griezmann will most likely move to Old Trafford next season and he would be given the iconic No. 7 shirt. These rumours have clearly irked the Atletico Madrid supporters and the president of the club as well.
This has caused him to respond in such fashion. The player himself has not yet confirmed that he wants to leave Spain and even reiterated his desire to stay at the Vincente Calderon after scoring a particular goal two weeks back.
What’s next?
There is no doubt going to be a bidding war for Griezmann in the summer considering the calibre of the player. He has a buyout clause in his contract which means it wouldn't be too hard for a club like United to afford his price tag.
If Atletico does not manage to win anything substantial this season it won’t be long before clubs come in to swoop for the forward.
Sportskeeda’s take
After the disappointment of exiting the Copa Del Rey last night, it has only put more pressure on Griezmann deciding on his future. For him to truly ascend to Ronaldo and Messi’s level he will have to start winning trophies.
Despite United going through somewhat of a rough patch, they do have the resources to make that dream a reality. It could very well be the Frenchman's last season at Atletico Madrid.
