Perhaps a little naively, most of us thought that any talk of Antoine Griezmann leaving Atletico Madrid was put to bed weeks ago.
The French international had appeared close to a move to Manchester United, only to decide to remain loyal to Atleti after the Spanish club were hit with a transfer ban.
Now though, a fresh report from Don Balon over the weekend has hinted that Griezmann might be set to leave the Spanish capital after all.
The report claims that as well as the transfer ban, Griezmann was convinced to commit his future to the club on the promise that Atleti would be improved in the months ahead. Despite this, the club are said to be no nearer to signing Chelsea’s Diego Costa (they can still sign players but they can’t be registered to play until January) and are also thought to be close to losing goalkeeper, Jan Oblak.
Because of this, Griezmann is said to have held serious discussions about his future with manager, Diego Simeone, where he’s explained that if Oblak is allowed to depart the club, he will be the next to leave.
It’s unclear if United would be willing to resurrect a move for Griezmann if the opportunity presented itself. Since Atleti were hit with a transfer ban earlier this summer, Jose Mourinho has bolstered his attack with the signing of Romelu Lukaku from Everton.
If Griezmann does push for an exit, it’s been reported that Barcelona – looking to replace Neymar – would be interested.
