According to The Sun, Manchester United are ready to make one final push in their pursuit of Antoine Griezmann. The Atletico Madrid star was tipped to join Barcelona earlier this summer. But, it appears that the Catalans have failed to launch an official bid amid players showing massive discontent over the potential arrival of the Frenchman.
As a result, United are now ready to hi-jack Barcelona’s deal for Griezmann by offering a staggering £95 million bid for the World Champion this summer.
Griezmann is a superstar
Griezmann really needs no introduction. The Frenchman is regarded as one of the best attackers in world football and is one of the most successful wingers in Europe for the past three seasons, individually, at least.
Indeed, the ex-Sociedad attacker has made over 250 appearances for Atletico Madrid in all competitions, during which he has been involved in 183 goals. His services in the final third and in front of goal have played a critical role behind the rise of Atleti under the tutelage of Diego Simeone.
Griezmann has been equally impressive in the international stage, having scored 29 goals in 70 matches for the French national team. He notably guided Les Bleus to their second ever World Cup triumph in history last summer – a competition where the Frenchman was involved in seven goals in only seven games.
Where does Griezmann fit in at Manchester United?
The lack of consistency from the likes of Alexis Sanchez, Anthony Martial and Jesse Lingard has become an issue for Manchester United for the past 18 months or so. It has also made them over-reliant on the services of the young Marcus Rashford.
The addition of Griezmann, in that regard, will take off the scoring burden from the shoulders of the English international. He will also revamp the United attack with his intelligent movements and spatial awareness in the final third.
Tactically, Griezmann can be slotted in as a partnering attacker to Rashford, should Ole-Gunnar Solskjaer employ a two-man attack system. Alternatively, the 28-year-old can feature as a wide-attacker in case of a 4-2-3-1 or a 4-3-3. He can also operate as a centre-forward – making it easier for Solskjaer to accomodate him in his offensive unit next season.
Will it be another gamble for United?
Manchester United haven’t exactly done well when it comes to flushing money on marquee signings as nearly all of their big money acquisitions, including Sanchez and Di Maria, have failed to perform and cope with the soaring expectations of the United fans.
Grieznmann, to that end, is no exception. But, at the same time, the Frenchman has shown that he is capable of thriving under any style of play and that could make him a better fit under Solskjaer when compared to someone like Sanchez.
