Filipe Luis believes Antoine Griezmann flirted with Manchester United to "get more attention" from his own club and secure a better contract.

The Atletico Madrid defender added that the France international is happy playing for the La Liga outfit, and can see him staying put for years to come.

Griezmann was Jose Mourinho's number one transfer target in the summer, but Atletico's transfer ban being upheld saw any potential deal break down.

Diego Simeone was unable to replace the forward, had he moved to the Premier League, and Griezmann was not prepared to leave his team without a front man.

Filipe Luis believes Griezmann is happy to stay put at Atletico Madrid (
Image:
Getty Images Europe)

But former Chelsea defender Luis says despite the speculation, and claims that the Frenchman would have signed for Man United had things been different, Griezmann was always staying put, and merely used the attention in him to secure a better deal.

"[Griezmann] is a kid who speaks very clearly," Luis told El Mundo. "Often players talk when they feel they are not being valued as they deserve.

Griezmann's current Atletico Madrid contract expires in 2022 (
Image:
Getty Images Europe)

"Then they get more attention. He would have had many offers from many teams.

"A player of his size wants to be up with the biggest in terms of contract and value. And that is fair - as Griezmann is doing great here.

Jose Mourinho had made the Frenchman his number one target (
Image:
REUTERS/ Michael Dalder Livepic)

"In the end, for all the talk about other clubs, he always wanted to stay here and he is still here, happy and liking it.

"For sure, he can stay much longer. We hope the fans understand this and everything gets back to normal, although he has been scoring goals, and goals cure everything."

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