Antoine Griezmann to MUFC is far from a done deal

Andy West 09:27 09/02/2017
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  • Antoine Griezmann.

    In many ways, it would make perfect sense for Antoine Griezmann to join Manchester United in the summer.

    Firstly, he is exactly the kind of player United need.

    Zlatan Ibrahimovic cannot go on forever, and the task of finding a world-class striker to serve as a long-term replacement for the brilliant yet ageing Swede must be among the biggest personnel priorities for the Old Trafford hierarchy.

    Assuming he stays in charge, Jose Mourinho could not find a better player than Griezmann, whose versatility, pace and work ethic would fit perfectly with the style of player preferred by the Portuguese coach.

    At 25, Griezmann is also at the right age, probably two or three years away from his peak, and the presence of his international teammate and close friend Paul Pogba would ease his settling-in process in Lancashire.

    From the player’s point of view, at first glance United would also appear to be a sensible option.

    As well as his current club Atletico Madrid have done in the last few years, it’s unlikely they’ll maintain those standards indefinitely, especially after manager Diego Simeone leaves, and they will never boast the same kind of global reputation and aura as United.

    And, to be blunt, United would be prepared to pay Griezmann considerably more money than he will ever earn at Atletico, so the lure of cold hard cash is bound to be significant. But United fans shouldn’t start buying their ‘Griezmann 7’ shirts just yet, because none of the factors mentioned above mean that the striker actually will move to Old Trafford.

    To really understand the potential of any such transfer, a closer look at the situation is required.

    For starters, Atleti are in the middle of a transfer ban which would prevent them from signing any players this summer, meaning they could not recruit a replacement for Griezmann if he left.

    Since the start of last season he has scored 47 goals with the club’s next highest scorer Fernando Torres on 17. That, in itself, is a major stumbling block in the suggestion the Frenchman will move to Manchester by July.

    Although they are not as big and powerful as United, neither are Atletico so small that they would allow themselves to be bullied into selling their best player when they’re not even allowed to sign a replacement. That’s even more the case when you consider the fact that Atletico are finally due this summer to move into their long-awaited new stadium, where they will be desperate to sell tickets, hospitality and generally appease fans for the inconvenience of reaching a brand-new arena which does not yet have adequate rail or road links.

    Selling Griezmann would hardly be a masterstroke in appeasement.

    Griezmann’s future is also closely tied to that of his manager, Diego Simeone.

    The striker is indebted to the Argentine coach for the impressive development he has made during their time together, and he will feel under heavy moral pressure to stay with Atletico until the end of Simeone’s cycle at the club.

    That time is approaching, with Simeone having renegotiated his contract to reduce its expiry date by two years to the summer of 2018, giving a clear indication that he will be ready to leave the Rojiblancos – probably for Internazionale or the Argentine national team, or even both – around 18 months from now.

    But Simeone has publicly said he wants to help Atletico through the process of their move to the Wanda Metropolitano and enjoy at least one year in the new surroundings, so the upheaval of his departure – which really will mark the end of an era – is unlikely to be as soon as this summer.

    For a variety of reasons, then, Griezmann is likely to stay in Madrid until 2018. And by then, United may no longer need him because they could have signed someone else. Of course, it’s still possible he will end up at Old Trafford. But it’s nowhere near the ‘done deal’ that many people seem to believe.

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