Manchester United had made the transfer of Atletico Madrid’s Antoine Griezmann their main target for the summer. The club have been contemplating Griezmann’s signing, and triggering the player’s £87 million release clause.
However, it looks like the deal for the Frenchman could be off. Atletico are facing a transfer ban when the window opens in a few weeks, which means the club cannot replace the attacker. Griezmann posted on Twitter following the transfer ban ruling using the hashtag “todos juntos”, meaning “all together”. This has given many fans the belief there is possibility that he could stay another season in Madrid.
Antoine Griezmann key stats 2016-17:
- 16 goals in 36 La Liga matches
- 8 assists in 36 La Liga matches
- 1.6 key passes per match
- 78.3% pass success rate per match
https://twitter.com/AntoGriezmann/status/870348612311678976
There could be good news for Manchester United fans, however; and it could come in the form of a Real Madrid attacker. Gareth Bale is expected by many in the Spanish media to be sold by Real Madrid this summer. The winger has been fighting injury for some time, and isn’t expected to start in Saturday’s Champions League Final. Bale has missed 29 matches for Real Madrid through injury in 2016-17, and Spanish journalists believe the team will cash in on the often hurt Welshman. Manchester United are still trying to sign Inter Milan winger Ivan Perisic as well.
Manchester United are also exploring new options at the striker position as they wait for Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s decision on a new contract. The Red Devils are looking into a deal for Everton striker Romelu Lukaku with Wayne Rooney headed to Goodison Park as part exchange.
Interestingly, many see Manchester United’s attempt to sign Lukaku means Ibrahimovic is on his way out of the club. Major League Soccer’s Los Angeles Galaxy are thought to be in line to sign the striker if he does leave Old Trafford.
