What’s the story?
Antoine Griezmann after the derby draw with Real Madrid refused to rule out the possibility of representing Real Madrid in the future. The French international speaking to Express said, “I am at Atletico and I feel good, to speak of Real today would not be very good in relation to the Atleti fans.”
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“Do I want to go there? If I respond with yes or no I put myself in sh**. The jump from Atletico to Real only happens very rarely and is very difficult”, he continued.
“But you never know what can happen in the future. My advisor, Eric Olhats, receives calls and communicates with me. So, I am not ruling anything out”, the France international concluded.
The context
The Atletico Madrid superstar has been linked with a number of big clubs for a potential switch in the summer with the likes of Manchester City, Manchester United, Real Madrid and Barcelona are all rumoured to be interested in the 26-year-old.
Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid have a verbal non-aggression pact against poaching each other’s superstars. But, as with all gentlemen’s agreements, this one might end up in the gutter when push comes to shove.
The heart of the matter
The former Real Sociedad man has been brilliant for Atletico Madrid in the last three seasons at the club, guiding them to a Champions League final last year. He was third on the Ballon d’Or list in 2016, he was part of the UEFA Team of the year, and was French player of the year in 2016.
A team player, with 23 goals already this season, he is probably the hottest prospect in world football at the moment.
What’s Next?
Speculation about Antoine’s future is undoubtedly going to continue until the end of the season, and it is not difficult to see a transfer saga of sorts, with multiple European giants behind his signature. Apart from probably Barcelona, he would be a perfect fit for any club in the world.
It will eventually come down to him in terms of who he chooses to represent next year if he leaves Atletico Madrid. Money is not really a factor for his suitors.
Author’s Take
The whole non-aggression pact between the two Madrid clubs is sort of a gray area. Real Madrid were rumoured to be willing to break the pact for Theo Hernandez, so if Antoine Griezmann is willing to move to Real, there is no doubt in my mind that Florentino Pérez will forget all kinds of agreements.
He would fit perfectly at Real Madrid too, with Cristiano Ronaldo getting on in years, the Champions League holders need a player who scores 40 goals a season consistently.
