Manchester United or Barcelona? Which European giant should Antoine Griezmann choose to join next summer?
Atletico Madrid star set to finally leave the club having stayed only to help the Spaniards through their transfer ban
ANTOINE GRIEZMANN was the talk of social media this weekend as an exceptionally poor choice of fancy dress costume caused outrage.
It was a massive error in judgement and one he will undoubtedly learn from, but let’s put that to the side for now.
The France star remains a fantastic talent and it is believed he will leave Atletico Madrid in the summer.
Barcelona and Manchester United the favourites to land the forward.
So we asked our friends at Football Whispers to look into the future of the forward and decide whether he’d be better suited to life at the Nou Camp or Old Trafford.
United and Jose Mourinho came close to landing the Frenchman last summer.
He spoke to the Portuguese and an offer was on the table, but Atleti’s transfer ban put him in a bind.
If he left the Spanish club he would have abandoned them at the moment they needed him the most.
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So he decided to stay, a noble thing to do, but no one expects him to be as loyal when the next summer’s transfer window opens.
Barcelona are willing to meet his £90million buyout clause and their president, Josep Maria Bartomeu, has met Griezmann’s family for lunch.
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Without an agent, the forward’s sister looks after his affairs, but his parents were there too.
The Catalan club are clearly putting in the groundwork ahead of a summer deal and it’s hard to envisage the 26-year-old rejecting such a move.
Griezmann has played in Spain since 2005 after Real Sociedad picked him up as a youngster.
The country has become his home and he’s picked up some Spanish/South American traits along the way – such as drinking Mate tea.
"Both Griezmann and Coutinho are elite players that are playing at the top level," said Luis Suarez recently, but he’s not worried about the striker taking his starting spot.
"If you look at [Griezmann], at Atletico he needs to play with a No9."
But both the Uruguayan and Leo Messi are 30 years old, so Griezmann could fit in with the current regime while rejuvenating the attack with countryman Ousmane Dembele.
However, a move to the Nou Camp isn’t set in stone and given the Macon-born forward is a known Man United fan, and a close friend of Paul Pogba, a switch to Manchester can’t be ruled out.
Linking up together at Old Trafford would be a dream come true for both, and the midfielder was successful in luring Romelu Lukaku, another close friend, to United this summer.
One issue, though, would be Griezmann having to adapt to a new country, a new league and a new way of life. It’s something many a fan often overlooks.
On the pitch, there’s no doubt he would fit into Mourinho’s attack.
The forward could play as the No9, or just off Lukaku, like he did successfully with Olivier Giroud for France at Euro 2016.
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He’s also out wide in the past but such a role would ultimately be left to Anthony Martial or Marcus Rashford, although they also have visions of leading the United attack in the future.
A mouth-watering on paper, it could be too much to expect Jose to play all four at the same time.
But given the success Pep Guardiola’s bold selections have had with Manchester City, maybe that adventure is exactly what the Portuguese boss needs to take his team to the next level.
At the moment Barcelona represent the safest option for Griezmann.
He knows the league, he suits their style and the team’s philosophy is perfect for what he would add.
But United and the Premier League are a dream and one that could become a reality next summer.