It would appear that Antoine Griezmann is set to stay at Atletico Madrid.
The French forward has been heavily linked with a move to Manchester United, a rumour he teased himself in television interviews and on social media, but his Twitter post on Thursday evening seems to suggest that Jose Mourinho won’t be getting his man.
“Now more than ever #Atleti #alltogether,” he told his 3.76 million Twitter followers.
It’s a shame for Man United, of course. Griezmann would have been just the signing Mourinho would have wanted to send a message to the club’s Premier League title rivals and to suggest that United will be contenders in Europe in the years to come.
But their £87 million - the price needed to activate Griezmann’s release clause - will have to be spent elsewhere.
Mourinho is desperate for a striker following Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s long-term knee injury, which appears likely to end his United career.
And The Guardian reported that the Swede’s injury is the reason why United’s interest in Griezmann cooled. Jose is prioritising a striker this summer, not a No.10.
Griezmann hinted that the move could happen
It will be interesting to find out how close Griezmann to United was from happening. The 26-year-old hinted that his Atleti career was over when he recently said he was ready to leave Los Rojiblancos.
“Today, if I have to move, it will not be a problem for me,” he said. “It may be England, which is in fashion, Germany, China or the United States, I’m ready to go.
“We finished third in La Liga, it was the objective of the club, but we, the players, want more. Winning titles is what I will look for this summer when deciding on my future.”
Now it appears that he’s ready to commit to Atleti. Interesting.
Griezmann spoke to United on Thursday
Spanish journalist Antonio Ruiz, who has been keyed in on the saga throughout, told COPE that Griezmann spoke to United on Thursday.
The France international explained to the Premier League club that he cannot join due to Atletico’s transfer ban, which was upheld by the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
In July 2016, the Spanish side were banned from registering players for two transfer windows for breaching FIFA rules over the signing of minors.
It’s an impressive show of loyalty from Griezmann, then, to help out his employers.