Atletico Madrid forward Antoine Griezmann has agreed terms with Manchester United ahead of a summer switch to Old Trafford, according to reports from France on Wednesday night.
It’s claimed that United have reached an agreement with the player over his contractual terms, at least in principle, though no fee is agreed as yet with Diego Simeone’s side.
Atletico are not keen to offload the player, but will be powerless to stop Griezmann departing should United pay the full €100m release clause in his contract. If that’s what it takes, that’s exactly what United are prepared to do, according to the report.
The 25-year-old will pocket the same €17.7m-a-year earnings as current United star and close personal friend Paul Pogba when and if the deal is confirmed. The former Juventus man is currently the world’s most expensive player, though United will not need to break the record figure for a second consecutive summer because of the clause.
Atletico are due to move into a new 67,000-capacity stadium next season, and it’s believed that the club will have to consider the sale of at least one leading player to help deal with the costs of switching to the Wanda Metropolitano. Griezmann featured for Atletico on their home ground on Wednesday night, scoring in a 2-1 defeat to Barcelona.
Griezmann is set to be handed the number 7 shirt vacated by Memphis Depay – who joined Lyon in January – and the player is believed to be one of Jose Mourinho’s top targets as he looks to boost his firepower. In a bid to temper the story however, an Old Trafford source has denied Wednesday’s reports to Press Association Sport.
United could only draw 0-0 at home to Hull City on Wednesday, magnifying the need for a new top class forward to be brought in.