Manchester United have reportedly been handed a major boost as a £30m move from Atletico Madrid for Thomas Lemar could free up Antoine Griezmann.
As noted by Squawka, Atleti are lining up a £30m bid to beat Bayern Munich and Manchester City to the signing of the Frenchman, having missed out this past summer with a £17m offer.
The 21-year-old has scored seven goals and provided two assists in 20 appearances in all competitions so far this season, but is said to still be keen on a switch to the Spanish capital.
Having seen what Diego Simeone has done for other young talents during his time with the La Liga outfit, Lemar is keen to seal a transfer, and that in turn could open the door for United to make their move for Griezmann.
The French international recently admitted that he regularly asks compatriot Paul Pogba about life at Old Trafford, as noted in the report, and has made no secret of his desire to play alongside the midfielder at club level too.
While Atleti hope to win an appeal against their transfer ban which runs until 2018, Monaco have no interest in selling Lemar in January and so any movement will have to wait until the summer.
Nevertheless, it certainly promises to be an interesting development as United will closely monitor the situation with a view of pouncing for Griezmann if it becomes clear that Simeone could be open to reshuffling his pack.
Atleti continue to compete for honours both at home and in Europe with their current group of players, but should United ramp up their interest in Griezmann, then it would certainly make sense on their part to be prepared and have a replacement lined up to soften the blow of a potential exit.