Antoine Griezmann has made it crystal clear he wants to leave Atletico Madrid this summer.

Five years on from his £24 million move to the Spanish capital, the former Real Sociedad striker last month declared his intention to pursue a new challenge.

Since then, one could be forgiven for assuming it was only a matter of time until the months of rumours linking Griezmann to Barcelona would materialise.

It hasn’t been quite so straightforward, though.

In fact, earlier this week it seemed as if Griezmann was no closer to joining the Catalan club than before he announced the end of his time with Atletico.

When Los Rojiblancos president Enrique Cerezo was asked for an update on the status of negotiations between the club, Griezmann and Barcelona, he replied: “No one from Barca has contacted me.”

Furthermore, interest from the Nou Camp is thought to have cooled in response to a club-wide preference to instead lure Neymar from Paris Saint-Germain.

Griezmann himself appeared less than certain about his own future after France beat Andorra 4-0 in their Euro 2020 qualifier on Tuesday.

“I don't know if I will stay in La Liga,” he told reporters.

“I know where I want to go. I am also keen to get this over with as quickly as possible.”

Well, whatever the state of play might be, Griezmann could end up having more than one option to choose from.

That’s because the Sun claims Manchester United are prepared to throw £95 million at Atletico in a late effort to land the 2018 World Cup winner.

The Red Devils are in the market for a prolific goalscorer and should have cash to burn with Romelu Lukaku and Paul Pogba set to leave before next season.

That said, there’s no guarantee Old Trafford represents a tempting option at present.

Griezmann - whose next transfer will surely be the biggest of his career - is unlikely to settle for anything less than his £450,000-per-week wage demands, especially to play Europa League football.

The situation perfectly encapsulates the challenge facing Ole Gunnar Solskjaer right now.

United boast the financial muscle to sign just about anyone, but do the players befitting their typical transfer targets want to join? Let us know what you think by leaving a comment.