Antoine Griezmann to Man Utd: The state of play
Robin Bairner
- 19 Sep 2022 07:33 CDT
- 3 min read
Antoine Griezmann has been linked with a potential move to Manchester United from Barcelona, but the prospect of a deal is not clear cut.
It was reported on Sunday that Griezmann appears on the shortlist of the Old Trafford club, who are eyeing a potential move up should the France international not complete a permanent move to Atletico Madrid.
The World Cup winner is presently on loan at Atleti from Barca, and the capital side are obliged to buy him for €40 million should he appear in more than 50% of games for which he is available for more than 45 minutes. Diego Simeone’s decision to primarily field Griezmann in the last 30 minutes of games suggest they are not interested in doing such a deal.
With Barcelona eager to offload him because of his large wages, that could open a door to Manchester United next summer.
Related articles
Fabrizio Romano, though, has suggested there is limited interest in a deal for now.
“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,” he wrote for CaughtOffside.
“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.”
Where does Griezmann’s future lie?
But just because Man Utd haven’t made a concrete move for the player, it doesn’t mean there is no interest on their part.
Griezmann, though, would be an odd signing for the Old Trafford club given that they need a pure No.9 more than they need creative players, while there are also defensive issues to address within the club.
Instead, the likeliest outcome for Griezmann is that he remains at Barcelona for a fee below his €40m purchase option.
