Would Antoine Griezmann be a sensible signing for Man Utd?

Paul Macdonald

• Updated: 20 May 2021 11:26 BST
• 2 min read

Manchester United are on the hunt for fresh blood in attack this summer, and the Daily Express has reported that the Red Devils could be about to swoop for Barcelona’s Antoine Griezmann.

While the report also claims Jadon Sancho, last summer’s top target, is on Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s wanted list again. But with Griezmann once again back on the radar, it’ll be interesting to see how United line up next season.

Speculation has been rife that Solskjaer will prioritise strengthening his defence, with the likes of Sevilla’s Jules Kounde heavily linked with a switch to Old Trafford.

Are Manchester United interested in Griezmann?

In truth, it is very difficult to see Solskjaer acting on these rumours, and there is a much greater chance that they have been started either on the Barcelona end or by Griezmann’s representative. At 29 years of age, the France international does not fit the profile of a Solskjaer signing at Old Trafford, and the Blaugrana will surely be hoping to recoup a hefty chunk of their £107million outlay.

While Griezmann has shown glimpses of the form which made Barcelona shell out for him during his Atletico Madrid, he is yet to repay that fee. Whether he will ever be able to remains to be seen, but he certainly hasn’t lived up to expectations, scoring just 15 goals in two La Liga seasons.

With debt mounting and presidential elections on the horizon, Barcelona may well want to cut ties with high earning assets as they look to begin a rebuild. Lionel Messi could be about to depart, too, and Griezmann joining him in leaving Camp Nou would certainly make the wage bill lighter.

But with Solskjaer desperate not to stifle the development of the likes of Mason Greenwood, it really is very difficult to see how any deal to sign Griezmann gets off the ground. Barcelona may well have to look elsewhere to offload such an expensive disappointment.