Atletico Madrid are reportedly set to offer Antoine Griezmann a bumper new deal to fend off interest from his suitors.
Spanish outlet El Pais have reported that Atletico Madrid are willing to do everything they can to keep hold of Antoine Griezmann, and are set to offer him a new improved contract to retain his services. The French forward is being followed by Manchester United, Bayern Munich, Real Madrid and several other clubs.
Griezmann has become the single hottest property in Europe following a third highly prolific season with Atletico Madrid. Having joined Los Rojiblancos in 2014, he has scored 80 goals for the club in just 150 appearances across all competitions while also recording 24 assists – making a direct contribution every 110 minutes.
A strong 2015/16 saw Griezmann guide Atletico to the Champions League final, before becoming the top scorer in Euro 2016 – a tournament that saw France reach the final – and finishing third in the race to win the Ballon d’Or. And he has backed that up with another stellar season, bagging 23 goals and 11 assists for his club.
With such figures to back his undoubted talent, it is no surprise that several clubs have been keen on signing Griezmann. In fact, Inter Milan, Arsenal and Chelsea have all previously registered an interest in him, but Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and Manchester United are believed to be the three front-runners.
Meanwhile, recent reports have claimed that Bayern Munich are leading the race to sign Griezmann, with Carlo Ancelotti eager to add to his wealth of attacking options. The former Real Madrid boss does have several stalwarts in attack but a player with Griezmann’s quality and versatility will add a lot of value to his squad.
The reports about Bayern, though, are in stark contrast to the ones that have linked the Frenchman with Manchester United, who have been rumoured to be “on the verge” of sealing a move for a their top summer target.
With one of the worst chance conversion rates in the Premier League, there is a serious need for Jose Mourinho to sign a prolific attacking player to complement the dangerous Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Griezmann, if signed, can do just that.
However, Atletico are now looking to fend off interest from the three clubs by drawing up a brand new contract, hiking his annual salary from €7 million to €10 million. In addition to that, Los Rojiblancos are also eager to increase his release clause which currently stands at €100 million.
It now remains to be seen if they can persuade Griezmann to pen this new deal, and if it is enough to fend off interest from some of the biggest clubs in Europe.
