What’s this? A player using Manchester United’s interest to get themselves a nice, juicy new contract? Surely not. Surely, surely not.
Well, according to one of Antoine Griezmann’s Atletico Madrid teammates, that appears to be exactly what the French international was up to during the early stages of last summer.
Griezmann was widely expected to leave the Spanish capital for Old Trafford in the weeks after last season had ended. He even spoke about his chances of making the switch during an interview on French TV.
Despite this, the move failed to materialise. Atleti were hit with a transfer ban, and Griezmann – reportedly feeling that he couldn’t leave the club at a time when they couldn’t replace him – opted to stay put.
Now, Filipe Luis has claimed that Girezmann didn’t intend to make the move (at least not in 2017), suggesting that he was merely using United’s interest to get himself a better deal at Atleti.
“He’s a kid who speaks very clearly,” the former Chelsea defender told El Mundo.
“Often players talk when they feel they are not being valued as they deserve. Then they get more attention.
“He would have had many offers from many teams. A player of his size wants to be up with the biggest in terms of contract and value. And that is fair as Griezmann is doing great here.
“In the end, for all the talk about other clubs, he always wanted to stay here and he is still here, happy and liking it.
“For sure, he can stay much longer. We hope the fans understand this and everything gets back to normal, although he has been scoring goals, and goals cure everything.”
Despite Luis’ words, reports have recently suggested Jose Mourinho will make a fresh move for Griezmann next summer. By then, Diego Costa will be playing for the club again. With the former Chelsea striker’s goals, letting Griezmann leave should be that little bit more straightforward.
