Chelsea have set their eyes on grabbing Antoine Griezmann from Spanish outfit Atletico Madrid. The club is prepared to spend big to land the winger in January, in hopes to solidify their Premier League title bid this season. News has been flying in that Chelsea midfielder Oscar is set to move to China, in a deal considered to be around £52-60 million. The club never expected that kind of money to be associated with his name, especially considering the fact that he is currently out of favour at the club.
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The Brazilian playmaker is not one of manager Antonio Conte’s first choice, is significantly down the pecking order. With the Italian favouring the likes of Pedro, Moses and even Willian over him, the player has made only 11 appearances this far, only one of which was for 90 minutes.
The player is expected to move to Chinese Super League side Shanghai SIPG, which is currently being managed by former Chelsea coach Andre Villas-Boas. Speaking to Brazilian media outlet SporTV Globo, Oscar said the move is almost confirmed "It's 90% certain. It just depends on some bureaucratic details."
Unconfirmed reports have come in that the player did not even travel with the squad as they prepared to face Sunderland.
Chelsea are currently on a 9 match unbeaten streak and look like champions already. With 37 points in 15 games, the players seem to have great chemistry. The club, however, would love to expand their squad during January. A lot of money will be flowing into the club after the Oscar deal is confirmed and sources tell us, the club will be going all out to land the French superstar.
Atletico Madrid, on the other hand, will be fighting off multiple suitors for the enigmatic winger.
Diego Simeone's side haven't had the best of seasons so far, sitting on 6th with just 25 points. Antoine Griezmann knows that to further his career; he might have to take the step up that other clubs will provide him. At the age of 25, he is at a crucial juncture of his career. Having already lost multiple European finals (with club and country), he will want to avoid further disappointment. The player pledged his loyalty to the club until 2012 this year, by putting pen to paper, which will only inflate his transfer fee.
Chelsea are only regarded as the favourites due to their recent success and the fact that their transfer kitty has significantly expanded. More to follow
