Manchester United have recently been linked with Atletico Madrid forward Antoine Griezmann as reports suggest the Red Devils are keen to bring him to Old Trafford next summer. However, transfer expert Fabrizio Romano has denied any Man United interest in the Atletico Madrid star, citing uncertainty between the Madrid side and FC Barcelona, Griezmann’s parent club, as the reason.
Antoine Griezmann rejoined Atletico after a disappointing spell with Barca in August 2021, on an initial one-year loan deal with an option for an extra year. The World Cup winner, however, has a bizarre clause in his contract that states if Griezmann plays at least 45 minutes in half of the matches he is available for during his time back in Madrid, Atletico will have the obligation to purchase Griezmann on a permanent transfer for €40million.
The clause has seen Griezmann’s playing time be very limited, with the forward only starting one game this season thus far, Sunday night’s crushing defeat to rivals Real Madrid.
Writing in his exclusive column for Caughtoffside, Romano said: “I’m aware of speculation that Manchester United enquired about Antoine Griezmann in the summer, but my understanding is there’s not a lot to it.
“At the moment, the situation is still not clear between Atletico Madrid and Barcelona for Griezmann so there’s still nothing happening with other clubs as of now. Griezmann is 100% focused on Atletico Madrid.”
At this point in time, it seems as if Barcelona and Atletico will be forced to come to some sort of compromise in terms of an agreement regarding the Frenchman, with Barca unwilling to bare Griezmann’s substantial wages next season, and Atletico hesitant to pay €40million for a 31-year-old forward who has been on the decline since 2019.