English giants, Manchester United, are reportedly planning to trigger the £85 million release clause in Antoine Griezmann’s contract at the end of the season.
According to the Telegraph, his international teammate, Paul Pogba, has been making efforts to reassure the Atletico Madrid striker the English weather is not as bad as he fears.
Jose Mourinho has reportedly asked United’s hierarchy as far back as last year to focus their efforts on signing Griezmann this summer as the manager bids to bring more cutting edge to the attack.
The Telegraph reports that Old Trafford remains the Frenchman’s most likely destination, if he decides to leave Atletico.
Mourinho is said to have options in £100 million rated Monaco’s teenage sensation, Kylian Mbappe and Romelu Lukaku who is yet to sign a new contract at Everton.
Griezmann has made repeated favourable references to the Spanish lifestyle in recent weeks and, in turn, talked less fondly about the infamous English weather. But those public utterances have usually been greeted with playful text messages from Pogba that he has nothing to worry about in Manchester, which is renowned for being a rainy city.
United have made all the early running in the battle to sign Griezmann and have been encouraged by the reaction of intermediaries, as well as recognising that few rival clubs could afford to foot a near world record fee and Atletico have loans on their impending new stadium to finance.
But while Griezmann’s release clause would negate the threat of protracted negotiations with Atletico, despite the legal complexities that often surround such things, complications could arise if Diego Simeone opts to stay on as coach, the Spanish club win the Champions League this season and/or United fail to qualify for the competition next season.
