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What's the story?
Premier League club Manchester United have received a major boost in the race to sign Atletico Madrid player Antoine Griezmann after the Spanish club filed an official complaint to FIFA against league rivals Barcelona for allegedly tapping-up the player according to English media outlet Mirror Online.
The report says that Atletico Madrid might be willing to do business with Manchester United after falling out with Barcelona, making the Red Devils the frontrunners for Griezmann.
In case you didn't know...
Griezmann has been one of the best players in the La Liga since joining the Rojiblancos in 2014. The French international has also been a crucial part of the Diego Simeone-managed side in the UEFA Champions League.
The 26-year-old's impressive performances have had attracted interest from several clubs including Real Madrid, Barcelona and Manchester United. This past summer, the Red Devils pushed to get a deal done for Griezmann. However, an Atletico Madrid transfer ban, which restricted them from bringing in a replacement, blocked the player's move to the Old Trafford.
Even though Manchester United were still interested in the player, recently it appeared that Barcelona had overtaken all the other suitors for the player. Reports from Spain even claimed that player wanted a move to the Camp Nou, but the deal has hit a roadblock after Atletico Madrid filed a complaint against the Blaugrana for tapping up their player.
Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu had apparently met with Griezmann's family recently and this has angered the Atletico officials.
The heart of the matter
Mirror understands that Atletico Madrid taking action against Barcelona will put Manchester United back in the race to sign Griezmann. The Rojiblancos could be willing to agree on a deal with the Red Devils in the summer, which will lead the former Real Sociedad player to move to the Old Trafford.
A report has come in from an Atletico Madrid-related source, confirming that the club has lodged a complaint against Barcelona for making illegal contact with their player.
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Author's take
It remains to be unknown if the report from Mirror is true or not, but if Atletico are really unhappy about Barcelona and are no longer willing to do business with them, it means that Manchester United are back in front of the line for Griezmann.
Whether FIFA takes any action against Barcelona for tapping-up the player also remains to be seen. The Catalan side could still try to avoid any legal action and lure Atletico to sell their player to them.
