What’s the story?
With several reports linking Antoine Griezmann to Manchester United in the last couple of months, former Liverpool midfielder, Steven Gerrard believes the Atletico Madrid star must have chosen not join the Red Devils in January as the club do not offer Champions League football, this year.
“He's playing in the Champions League for Atletico Madrid," said Gerrard, who captained Liverpool for over a decade, to BT Sport.
"He's got a chance of competing for that, which they have done for the past couple of years. And he's probably thinking: 'Yeah, Manchester United probably is a good move, but it's still going to be there in the summer."
Also Read: Transfer Rumour: Arsenal enter £85 million race to sign Atletico Madrid forward Antoine Griezmann
Manchester United have managed to qualify for the Champions League only once in the last three seasons, the last one coming under the management of Louis Van Gaal in 2014/15 season. The club's Champions League hopes for next season is once again under pressure as they are currently 6th in the Premier League table, five points off Liverpool, who sit in 4th place.
In case you didn’t know...
Antoine Griezmann had a brilliant campaign last year, helping his club, Atletico Madrid, to reach the final of the Champions League as well as guiding his national side, France, to the final of the European championship. Although he missed out on winning both competitions, he impressed for both club and country.
The 25-year-old forward won several individual accolades including the ‘Golden Boot’ and ‘Player of the Tournament’ at Euro 2016, as well as French Player of the Year. Griezmann also finished 3rd in the race for the prestigious Ballon d’Or award last year.
In his three seasons at the Vicente Calderon, the French forward has scored 71 goals in 135 appearances for the Atletico Madrid. Griezmann already has 14 goals and seven assists so far this season. Reports suggest that Griezmann is worth €80 million in the transfer market.
The heart of the matter
After replacing Louis Van Gaal with Jose Mourinho last year, Manchester United spent big in the summer transfer window to acquire the likes of Eric Bailly, Henrikh Mkhitaryan, and Paul Pogba, who alone cost the club £89 million and also became the most expensive transfer in football history.
Despite all the money spent, the club hasn’t even come close to their aspirations and signing Griezmann in the summer could help Manchester United reach their goals.
What’s next?
Griezmann will be leading Atletico Madrid’s attack as they take on FC Barcelona in the semi-finals of the Copa del Rey. Atletico have also made it to the round of 16 of the Champions League.
Sportskeeda’s take
Given Griezmann’s relationship with his international team-mate and good friend, Paul Pogba, Manchester United should find it relatively easy to convince the French superstar to join him at Old Trafford in the summer. With money in abundance at the club, Manchester United surely will not shy away from spending that extra buck for his services.
