Manchester United have been dealt a major blow, with Atletico Madrid striker Antonio Griezmann reportedly agreeing a deal to join Barcelona at the end of the season.
The 26-year-old was close to a move to Old Trafford at the end of last season before the deal broke down, and now it appears United will miss out on him for a second consecutive summer.
Está cerrado, sí aunque obviamente ninguna de las dos partes lo confirmará. En @sport ya informamos del acuerdo privado que existe entre ambos y Griezmann será del Barça en verano 100% https://t.co/P0sxiZNDfS
— Albert Rogé (@albert_roge) February 25, 2018
Griezmann joined Atleti from Real Sociedad in 2014 and has gone on to score 99 goals in 192 games in all competitions. He’s bagged 19 goals in 49 games for the France national team too and is one of Europe’s most prolific forwards.
This season, he’s scored and created 18 goals in 22 La Liga games as Atleti hunt Barcelona in the table. The Rojiblancos are currently second in the table with 58 points from 25 games, seven adrift of the leaders and seven ahead of rivals Real Madrid.
Manchester United have strengthened their attack with the signings of Romelu Lukaku last summer and Alexis Sanchez last month, while boasting talent such Anthony Martial, Juan Mata, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Jesse Lingard, so they aren’t short of options in the final third.
Nevertheless, Griezmann opting to stay in Spain is a blow. According to the Express, his release clause drops from £175m to £100m which should help facilitate his move to Barcelona, joining Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez, Philippe Coutinho and Ousmane Dembele in a star-studded attack.
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