Transfer rumors: Manchester United have ‘concrete’ interest in Griezmann

Manchester United have “concrete” interest in Atletico Madrid star Antoine Griezmann, according to the player’s agent.

Manchester United are reportedly the frontrunners to acquire Altetico Madrid striker Antoine Griezmann, according to the Frenchman’s agent.

The French international has had a number of suitors over the past few months, including PSG, Manchester City, Barcelona and Real Madrid. But, in a recent interview with French TV show Telefoot, Griezmann’s agent made it absolutely clear United are at the front of the pack.

Atletico would of course be sad to see their star player leave as they prepare for another year tangling with the big two of La Liga, Barcelona and Real Madrid.

That being said, they haven’t had much trouble training and developing replacements for players that have been poached such as Radamel Falco and Sergio Aguero. They always seem to land on their feet when a big player leaves.

But they would have a hard time finding somebody as talented as Griezmann. His unique combination of touch and shooting skills, as well as his impressively cerebral play, would be sorely missed. The third-place finalist for the 2016 Ballon d’Or is a generational talent.

United, meanwhile, could really use another striker. Zlatan Ibrahimovic will probably be out for a full year, and might not return to the team after that. He might favor a trip across the Atlantic to finish out his career in MLS.

Wayne Rooney has been reduced to mostly a bench role, and is usually playing midfield when he does play.

Marcus Rashford, meanwhile, is not yet consistent enough to shoulder the responsibility of primary scorer. While he may be the future of the club, and England, for that matter, he just doesn’t have the experience to make goals on a consistent basis at the highest level of club competition. He’s only scored five times in league play, after all.

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Griezmann’s considerable talent would no doubt be of use to United manager Jose Mourinho. Mourinho is no stranger to utilizing at least two strikers, having made good use of Anthony Martial, Ibrahimovic and Rashford in the latter half of this season.

Just a reminder: just because these rumors come from the player’s manager doesn’t mean they’re a sure thing. He merely said that United were the “first” to come to him, not that they were the only team being considered.

No matter what the rumors say, though, they seem to agree on one thing: Griezmann isn’t long for Atletico Madrid.