According to a recent report by the Spanish news outlet, Sport, Manchester United are leading the chase to secure the services of Antoine Griezmann from Atletico Madrid. The same source has also revealed that the French international rejected a switch to Barcelona last summer but has grown tired of his team’s failure to take a step in the right direction this season.
Diego Simeone’s side were recently knocked out of the UEFA Champions League by Juventus despite having a 2-0 lead over them at the end of the first-leg. Sport is now claiming that the defeat at Turin was the final straw for the French ace and now, the Red Devils are battling with Bayern Munich in pursuit of his signature next summer.
The 27-year-old winger has been in scintillating form for the Madrid outfit after putting in some dazzling displays at the Spanish capital during this campaign. Griezmann has featured in 39 matches for the La Liga giants this term, scoring 18 goals while creating eight assists in all competitions.
The Macon-born talent is also vastly experienced at the international level and played an instrumental part in helping France win the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia last summer.
Griezmann has decent pace and is widely regarded as one of the best dribblers in European football. He can make some penetrative runs behind the opposition defence and is tough to dispossess when he is playing at a high level on the pitch. More importantly, the French striker is a prolific goal-getter and is also not shy about creating opportunities for his teammates in the final third.
The acquisition of a player of Grienzmann’s ilk will undoubtedly bolster Man United’s attacking options at Old Trafford. Ole Gunnar Solkjaer currently has some talented forwards in his ranks such as Marcus Rashford, Romelu Lukaku, Anthony Martial and Alexis Sanchez. However, besides Rashford, none of the other strikers has managed to be consistent in front of goal this season.
One could even argue that Griezmann will be an upgrade over any (and all) of them as he knows how to find the back of the net consistently over a sustained period. Hence, Ed Woodward should do everything in his power to lure the French international to the Theatre of Dreams ahead of the new campaign.
