Manchester United revisited Antoine Griezmann transfer last summer

Manchester United reportedly sought contact with Antoine Griezmann’s representatives last summer.

Antoine Griezmann is a familiar name for Manchester United fans, with the striker entangled in a rather epic transfer saga during the 2017 transfer windows.

From adverts where Griezmann is seen on the phone to a “Jose” to Paul Pogba recreating the Frenchman’s iconic celebration on social media, it felt like a done deal, until a UEFA ruling threw the whole transfer into dissary.

In the middle of the window, Atletico Madrid were hit with a transfer ban, meaning if Griezmann was to leave the club, they wouldn’t be able to sign a replacement. Due to this and his loyalty to the club, Griezmann then decided to stay at the club for the coming season, throwing a real spanner in the works of Jose Mourinho at Manchester United.

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Griezmann would then eventually move to Barcelona two years later, in July 2019, in a £110 million move which ultimately failed, with the forward player moving back to Atletico Madrid in 2021 on a loan with an obligation for Atletico to buy him at the end of this season.

However, United reportedly “sought dialogue with Antoine Griezmann and his representatives” during the previous summer window, according to Sky Sports.

Sky state that when John Murtough and Tom Keane, former head of football negotiations, flew to Spain in order to finalise a deal for Casemiro, they also made calls to arrange a meeting with Griezmann and his representatives to understand how he would feel with respect to a move to Manchester United.

Although the Frenchman was “flattered” with the interest, he was more concentrated on making his move back to Atletico Madrid a permanent one, and therefore was not interested in the switch to Old Trafford.

With United lacking in firepower up front, Griezmann could have been a brilliant option for Erik ten Hag to add flair and goals to his side, who most recently lost 3-2 away to Arsenal.

It is stated that Griezmann would only consider leaving Atletico this summer if Diego Simione was to leave the Madrid club this summer, with plenty of rumours circulating that Simione might exit from the club he has become so synonymous with in the last decade.

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If United will revisit this situation in the summer no one yet knows, however after his brilliant performances in the World Cup, it could be a perfect option for Ten Hag and United to consider as the 2023 summer window approaches.