While Atletico Madrid and Barcelona squabble over the number of minutes that Antoine Griezmann is playing, there had been some suggestion of a third player entering the matter.
So far the French forward has only started once this season, coming on just past the hour mark in each of Atleti’s other seven games. If Griezmann plays at least 45 minutes in 50% of the matches he is available for over the course of the two years of his loan to from Barcelona, Atleti must pay €40m to make the transfer permanent.
It could be that a sale to a third party benefits both Spanish clubs, as they look to minimise the financial impact of Griezmann’s contract. Caught Offside reference reports from The Athletic that Manchester United are interested in being that solution.
Yet writing in his exclusive column, Italian transfer guru Fabrizio Romano is not aware of that interest.
“I’m aware of speculation that Manchester United enquired about Antoine Griezmann in the summer, but my understanding is there’s not a lot to it.”
“At the moment, the situation is still not clear between Atletico Madrid and Barcelona for Griezmann so there’s still nothing happening with other clubs as of now. Griezmann is 100% focused on Atletico Madrid.”
Currently it still seems most likely that Atleti and Barcelona will be forced into an agreement of convenience for a lower transfer fee. Barcelona do not want to take over his significant salary next summer, while Los Colchoneros do not want to pay €40m for a 31-year-old who scored just eight goals last season.
