Manchester United face Antoine Griezmann payment obstacle

Posted Thursday, May 25, 2017 by ESPN

STOCKHOLM -- Atletico Madrid will demand that Manchester United pay more than half of Antoine Griezmann's €100 million buyout clause in a lump sum this summer if the club make a formal bid for the player, sources have told ESPN FC.

United manager Jose Mourinho has made Griezmann, 26, his top target as he attempts to build a squad capable of challenging for the Premier League title.

The France forward has increased speculation over his future this week by telling L'Equipe he is "ready to go" if a suitable move arises as well as rating the prospects of a move to Old Trafford at six out of 10 on the "Quotidien" television programme.

But Atletico president Enrique Cerezo told RMC on Wednesday that he doubts any club will put the money up.

"I don't think any club is going to play Griezmann's [€100m buyout] clause," he said. "There has been no approach from Manchester United and no one has offered to pay the clause nor do I think that anyone will."

Atletico's insistence that any buyer for Griezmann must pay a figure in the region of £50m (€58m) as a downpayment is at odds with United's traditional business model of paying transfer fees in instalments over the course of a player's contract. The majority of leading clubs also construct deals on this basis.

Cerezo said he doesn't think Griezmann is going anywhere.

"The situation with Antoine Griezmann is that he is an Atletico player and he has a contract until 2021. He has never told me that he would like to leave. I am not surprised by his comments since every day for months, journalists have been asking the same question. I think it gets annoying to always have to answer the same question when everyone is well aware of his situation."

Sources have told ESPN FC that, while United are long-term admirers of Griezmann, senior figures are reluctant to divert from their usual framework of paying for players and that Atletico's stance could yet prove a considerable obstacle to overcome.

Primarily, however, United's hopes of signing Griezmann would be boosted significantly by victory in Wednesday night's Europa League final against Ajax in Stockholm. Success in the Friends Arena would secure Champions League qualification for United and remove one current barrier to completing a deal.

While another season outside the Champions League would not immediately end United's hopes of signing the former Real Sociedad player, rival interest from Chelsea and Real Madrid could become an issue if either club makes a bid for the player, although he told "Quotidien" a move to Atletico's rivals would be "impossible."

Manchester United face Antoine Griezmann payment obstacle
Atletico star Antoine Griezmann has hinted at a potential exit several times over the course of the season.

Meanwhile, former Atletico forward Kiko Narvaez, now a top pundit in Spain, has said Griezmann's comments this week look like an attempt to force a pay-rise out of his current club.

Griezmann has hinted at a potential exit numerous times throughout the season, but both El Pais and AS reported last month that Atletico were hopeful the forward would commit to a new big-money contract.

Speaking on Spain's "El Larguero" radio programme, Kiko -- who won the 1996 La Liga and Copa del Rey winner with Atletico -- said he was concerned by the player's comments this week.

"The first thing I thought was worry," Kiko said. "He could have closed the issue totally by saying 'zero' chance [he would join United], and that ends everything. Instead of saying '[Atletico chief executive] Miguel Angel [Gil Marin] needs to talk to my agent.' It sounds to me like he is after a bigger contract.

"I don't know if there were promises made, but something is needed for everything to quieten down. I am not surprised that other clubs call his agent and say they will pay his clause, and offer a huge contract which would make him think. That 'six' he said sounds like he has one foot more outside than in."

Asked about Griezmann's future at a charity event, former Atletico midfielder Milinko Pantic -- who, like Kiko, played alongside Diego Simeone -- suggested the forward did not seem to know what he wanted.

"You cannot change your mind every day," Pantic said.