Manchester United suffer major transfer blow in pursuit of marquee £86m summer signing

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Atletico Madrid president Enrique Cerezo has insisted that star forward Antoine Griezmann is going nowhere despite interest from Manchester United.

As noted by The Telegraph, it was claimed earlier this week that the Premier League giants would be prepared to meet the £86m release clause in the French international’s contract.

While United are expected to face competition from the likes of Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea and Manchester City, they have been touted as the most likely destination for Griezmann who has discussed the possibility of linking up with international teammate Paul Pogba previously.

However, Cerezo has no intention of allowing his most prized asset leave the Spanish capital, and has insisted that he will do his best to keep him at the club for the foreseeable future.

“There are many offers,’ Cerezo is quoted as saying in the report. “I don’t know what will come of Manchester United’s interest. What I can say though is that Griezmann will be an Atlético player for a long time.”

It’s an important period for the La Liga outfit this summer as speculation has also suggested that boss Diego Simeone could move on while they are also set to move into their new stadium ahead of next season.

As noted in the report, it’s added that Atleti could be forced to sell a top name in order to balance the books and Griezmann would undoubtedly be the obvious choice given the money involved in a possible transfer.

Nevertheless, losing a key piece of their team who has developed into one of the top players in the world since his move from Real Sociedad in 2014 will be a major setback for the club and so they will be desperate to fend off interest where possible.

That won’t put off United though, as after splashing out £89m on Paul Pogba last summer, as noted in the Telegraph report, they are seemingly preparing to make their next major signing.

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