Manchester United are reportedly edging ever closer to completing the big-money signing of Atletico Madrid forward Antoine Griezmann.
The Red Devils spent heavily in Jose Mourinho’s first transfer window with the likes of Eric Bailly and Paul Pogba making switches to Old Trafford.
While it’s been a decent start to life at United for the Portuguese tactician, he’s expected to significantly strengthen his squad again this summer and it looks as though a marquee signing is on the way.
According to the Manchester Evening News, United are ‘closing in on Griezmann’, and the French international could cost as much as €100m.
It’s claimed that the club hierarchy are ready to back their manager and launch the staggering offer to meet Griezmann’s release clause, with the report going so far as to suggest that it is a mere formality that he will make the move from the Spanish capital to Manchester at the end of the season.
Further, the report suggests that Zlatan Ibrahimovic will stay while While Rooney is set to leave, with Mourinho believing that Griezmann can transform his side and take them onto the next level to compete for the Premier League title by easing the burden on Ibrahimovic’s shoulders to score goals.
Nevertheless, it’s a huge transfer fee for one player, but as shown with Pogba last summer, it clearly doesn’t put the English giants off as they will make signings if they believe that they will have a major impact on the club for years to come.
Griezmann fits the bill in that sense, as he’s scored 20+ La Liga goals in both full seasons with Atleti thus far, and he’s well on course to do so again this year as he’s got 14 in 27 appearances for Diego Simeone’s side. Add his 14 goals in 39 games for France, and it proves the 26-year-old can deliver both for club and country and he seems more than ready for a big move to United.