Griezmann ‘ready to leave’ Atletico
understands Neymar is on their list of targets, while Mourinho looks to be close to sealing a deal for Atletico Madrid striker Antoine Griezmann. And Spanish outlet Diario Gol claim Real Madrid are monitoring his transfer saga with great interest. Real president Florentino Perez attempted to snare the player last summer, only for the Brazil international to use their interest to negotiate an improved contract with Barcelona. But less than 12 months on and his future is uncertain after a rocky campaign that has seen senior Barcelona players reportedly express fears over his commitment and attitude. Perez is said to maintain a close AFTER publicly admitting yesterday that there is a “6 out of 10” chance of joining Manchester United, Antoine Griezmann has now made it clear that he is “ready to leave” Atletico Madrid after three years at the club. Having attempted to downplay speculation over a move away from Atletico throughout the past season, the Frenchman’s stance has now drastically changed following another campaign of limited success at the Vicente Calderon. Speaking to L’Equipe, the Frenchman was unperturbed by the prospect of leaving the La Liga side and even embraced the idea. He said: “If I have to move, it’s not a problem. It can be England, because it’s the trend, Germany China or USA. I’m ready to leave. “I’ve reached a point where playing nice football and scoring goals isn’t enough. Winning titles, that’s what I’m looking for.”
This follows the forward’s admission, made on French programme Quotidien, that a move to United is possible. “I think we will know (about my future) in the next two weeks. Manchester United? It is possible. Six out of 10 chance,” he said.
Griezmann has made a total of 111 league appearances for Atletico during his three-year spell at the club, scoring 46 La Liga goals throughout that time.
His success on the pitch has amassed extensive interest from the continent, with reports linking United, PSG and even rivals Real Madrid to the forward.
Griezmann’s agent, Eric Olhat, claims that United have shown the firmest interest in signing the forward, who has an £85m (RM473m) release clause in his contract with his current Spanish club.
“We’re at the stage of gathering information from clubs who have a concrete interest,” Olhats told the French TV programme Telefoot. “There is an unavoidable €100m (RM557m) clause so that restricts the number of candidates.
“You have United, ( Manchester) City, Chelsea, Barcelona and Real Madrid. United were the first to come and see us and the most concrete in their wishes.”
Prior to this week, Griezmann’s future in Spain had seemingly depended on manager Diego Simeone’s own career at Atletico.
In a surprisingly candid interview, the Argentine publicly revealed the forward told him he would stay so long as Simeone remained manager of the side ahead of their move to a new stadium.
“Griezmann said to me: ‘if you stay, I’ll stay,’” Simeone said. “But from here forward nobody knows what is going to happen. I would never force him to say.”
But despite Simeone’s recent confirmation that he will stay on at Atletico, made after his side’s 3-1 win over Athletic Bilbao, Griezmann has not joined his manager in committing his own future to the Spanish club and has now made a second public indication of his desire to leave. – The Independent