Man Utd have reportedly suffered a blow in their pursuit of Atletico Madrid forward Antoine Griezmann as he is said to be stalling on an £89m move.
Speculation has been rife for months that United were set to make the French international their marquee summer signing, with a release clause in his contract making it an expensive transaction.
However, according to The Sun, real doubt has been cast over the possible £89m move as Griezmann is concerned that the Red Devils could be about to miss out on the Champions League for a second season running which could scupper the proposed move.
While winning the Europa League and thus qualifying for the Champions League remains an option for Jose Mourinho’s side, a path through the Premier League is looking a more difficult task each passing week.
Disappointing home draws against West Bromwich Albion and Everton have been damaging to their push, as they now remain in sixth place in the standings and four points adrift of rivals Manchester City with a game in hand.
While it’s by no means impossible, unless they can rediscover their scoring boots and start winning games, it will become more and more problematic as the weeks and fixtures run out.
It’s claimed that United have tried to reassure Griezmann while Paul Pogba has been used to try and smooth things over and keep a possible move on track.
However, the 26-year-old could make things more complicated for United as there are genuine question marks over the move and it seems qualifying for Europe’s premier competition for next season is of upmost importance to Griezmann.
As a result, the potential switch looks in real jeopardy at this stage as United will hope a strong finish to the campaign will boost their hopes of making another real statement in the transfer market at the end of the season.