Manchester United could well be in for World Cup winner Antoine Griezmann in January.
That's the surprising report that's emerged in recent days, with the on-loan Frenchman the centre of a complicated dispute between his employers, Barcelona and Atletico Madrid, who he signed from and last summer went back on loan to.
Griezmann will trigger a clause in his contract to become an Atleti player permanently if he plays a certain number of minutes – for now, however, manager Diego Simeone is using him sparingly in order to bargain with Barça at a later date.
With Barça and Atletico locked in a bitter disagreement over the 31-year-old, The Athletic claims that actually, Manchester United could solve the impasse.
"If the dispute is not resolved, then an option would be for Griezmann to move again, perhaps even as soon as January," Dermot Corrigan says. "Manchester United were one of a number of Premier League clubs to inquire about him during last summer’s transfer window. The player at that point was only focused on staying at Atletico and did not listen to any other options, but everyone’s patience is getting tried at the moment."
Griezmann would certainly solve an issue for United up front. Cristiano Ronaldo has also only been used sparingly, with Marcus Rashford leading the line more often at the start of this season – and the Portuguese's future is uncertain.
With the legendary CR7 a target for Simeone over the summer, it seems possible that the Argentinian would move heaven and Earth to secure his man, even and especially at the expense of a player who's causing a conundrum behind the scenes. It's been noted that Griezmann isn't pushing for a move and is showing the utmost professionalism, despite the problem.
Transfer guru Fabrizio Romano has poured water over the rumour, however.
"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," the Italian said in his daily briefing with Caught Offside. "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."
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Plans for January at Manchester United are already being drawn up but apparently depend upon the future of Cristiano Ronaldo.
A replacement for David De Gea has apparently been identified, while Jude Bellingham is apparently on the radar. United are also in for Barcelona ace Gavi.
Meanwhile, former Manchester United captain Gary Neville has been speaking to FFT about the influence of American owners and how they threaten "the fabric of the English game".
