Antoine Griezmann is one step closer to sealing his transfer to Manchester United after ‘verbally agreeing’ a deal to move to Old Trafford, as per reports.
According to The Independent, Manchester United are growing increasingly confident of signing Atletico Madrid forward Antoine Griezmann in a deal that could see the Premier League giants break the world record for a transfer fee for a second season running.
Jose Mourinho’s Manchester United revolution is well and truly underway. After adding four exciting and world class players to his squad in the summer, the Portuguese manager has overseen a significant improvement in the level of football played by the Red Devils.
And as he continues to shape Manchester United in his image, it looks like the second phase of his squad overhaul is all set to kick in as the English super club is getting ever closer to sealing the transfer of Atletico Madrid forward Antoine Griezmann.
Griezmann is one of the most exciting talents in world football, having raised his performance levels rapidly since moving to Atletico Madrid in 2014. So much so, that this year he was ranked as one of the three best players in the world, closely following the phenomenal Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.
The France international enjoyed his most productive campaign last season as he scored 32 goals in all competitions for Atletico Madrid, before taking the European Championships by storm, where he netted six times to end up as the tournament’s top scorer.
Griezmann has continued his strong form in the first half of the 2016/17 season as well, scoring 12 goals and assisting six times, and the 25-year-old has been one of the few bright spots in a campaign where the Los Rojiblancos have endured some challenging times in the Spanish top flight.
Manchester United have monitored the progress of Griezmann for a long time now, and the Red Devils opened talks with the Frenchman’s camp last month. Earlier this month, it was reported that United had offered Griezmann pay parity with compatriot Paul Pogba in order to lure him to Old Trafford.
Indeed, the report states that Griezmann has now verbally agreed the principles of the deal, which includes the aforementioned pay package as well as his prospective shirt number. The forward is also relishing the chance to link up with Pogba, and the midfielder’s presence at Old Trafford makes the move even more appealing to Griezmann.
The report also added that two further details are important in securing the transfer in the summer. The first is that United will have to match Griezmann’s buyout clause, which has been set at €100 million, while the second is a stumbling block, with Altetico Madrid’s transfer ban acting as a big hurdle.
If the Spanish club is allowed to buy and sell players in the summer, then they would allow Griezmann to move to Manchester United and look to sign a replacement, having identified Arsenal superstar Alexis Sanchez and Chelsea striker Diego Costa as possible alternatives in recent weeks.
For now, Griezmann looks closer than ever to sealing a dream move to Manchester United, and it remains to be seen how long it will be before Jose Mourinho kick starts the second phase of his squad overhaul.
