Man Utd are making huge changes ahead of Sir Jim Ratcliffe coming into the club | Football Digest
Atletico Madrid and France star Antoine Griezmann reportedly will not be leaving the La Liga club for Manchester United in January, despite rumours linking him with a move to Old Trafford. As Erik ten Hag looks for more reinforcements after a disappointing start to the Premier League season, the 32-year-old’s name has been mentioned as part of a surprise transfer.
Griezmann is said to have a surprisingly low release clause of £21.9million which would enable United to pounce and potentially even triple the striker’s wages, should he leave Spain for England. But it appears that he is not ready to ditch the club he has had two impressive spells with.
Fabrizio Romano explained to The United Stand that Griezmann will not leave Atletico in January, despite rumours persisting of a potential move to Old Trafford. He previously departed in 2019 for Barcelona after they activated his £105m buy-out clause, but the Frenchman failed to replicate his form at the Nou Camp.
Griezmann is a versatile forward who Ten Hag may have felt would have improved United’s struggling frontline. The Red Devils have scored just 13 goals in 12 league matches while Bruno Fernandes and Scott McTominay are the only two United players to have scored on more than one occasion in the league this season.
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Rasmus Hojlund has failed to hit the ground running domestically following his £72m summer move from Atalanta, despite impressing especially in the Champions League. He was the club’s big-money addition going forward after missing out on Harry Kane and still needs time to acclimatise to the league.
While Marcus Rashford has struggled to hit the lofty heights of last season. The likes of Anthony Martial, Antony, Alejandro Garnacho, Jadon Sancho and Facundo Pellistri all have been unable to make a significant impact going forward, perhaps prompting the reported interest in Griezmann.
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At Atletico, Griezmann has scored eight goals in 12 La Liga games to follow up 15 goals in 38 appearances last season. He could operate on the right, where Antony and Sancho have struggled, or directly through the middle but it appears that he has already closed the door on a move to United.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe will likely be judged heavily on his first transfer window in charge of the sporting side of the club, as the INEOS chief’s deal to purchase 25 per cent of United for approximately £1.3billion could be announced in the next few days.
It would need to be ratified by the Premier League and could take six to eight weeks, enough time for Ratcliffe and co to have an impact on the winter window. It has become apparent that more investment is needed, but Griezmann is unlikely to be the answer for Ten Hag.
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