Manchester United’s top transfer target insists staying at his club is more likely
Antoine Griezmann may not be headed to Manchester United this summer
Despite media reports linking Manchester United to James Rodriguez, it’s clear their top priority is Atletico Madrid attacker Antoine Griezmann. Unfortunately for Jose Mourinho and company, the Frenchman may be staying put.
The silky attacker caught United officials off guard with his recent comments via a live French television interview. He admitted that a move to United was possible, but rated its probability as a six out of ten.
That sounded good until he rated the chances of him staying at Atletico Madrid as a seven out of ten. You don’t have to be a brilliant mathematician to understand that means his chances of staying in Spain are higher than moving to England.
In fairness, much of the decision is still out of Griezmann’s control. First, United will have to meet his release clause of £100 million to bring Atletico to the negotiating table. To date, the Premier League club have not made such an offer.
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The status of United’s offer may very well depend on the outcome of their Europa League final against Ajax. If they’re able to earn Champions League qualification by ousting the Eredivisie club, then signing Griezmann becomes a possibility. If they lose and are relegated to the Europa League, the talented Frenchman will likely remain out of their reach.
Even if they do make it into the Champions League, it will still be a tough decision for Griezmann. He genuinely enjoys playing in Spain for Diego Simeone. It’s clear he also has sincere affection for his teammates as well.
Moving to England to play for a prickly manager like Mourinho may not appeal to him at this stage of his career. He can easily wait another year or two before making such a big move. Perhaps if he does wait, he can move alongside Simeone to the club of their choosing. There’s certainly a high level of comfort between the two.
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Manchester United shouldn’t give up hope on signing Antoine Griezmann, but they shouldn’t pencil him into their starting XI just yet. Staying with Atletico Madrid is still a viable option for the prolific French attacker.