Share

United cool interest in Griezmann - reports

London - Manchester United have cooled their interest in signing Atletico Madrid's French forward Antoine Griezmann, according to British media reports on Thursday.

Europa League winners United were reported to be plotting an approach for 26-year-old Griezmann.

But several media outlets, including the BBC and Britain's Press Association, said United were instead shifting their focus towards a more conventional centre-forward, citing an internal source.

United striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic has sustained a long-term knee injury and is due to be out of contract at the end of the month.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport on Thursday upheld a transfer ban against Atletico over irregularities in the signing of foreign players under the age of 18.

It means the Madrid club will not be able to register new players until January 2018.

Atletico were reportedly intending to sell Griezmann and replace him with his France team-mate Alexandre Lacazette of Lyon.

Griezmann is close friends with United midfielder Paul Pogba and has dropped hints about wanting to move to Old Trafford in recent weeks.

In a recent French television appearance, he said there was a "6/10" chance of him joining United and a "7/10" chance of him staying at Atletico.

Griezmann joined Atletico from Real Sociedad in 2014 and has scored 83 goals in 160 games for the club, with whom he reached the Champions League final in 2016.

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
How much would you be prepared to pay for a ticket to watch the Springboks play against the All Blacks at Ellis Park or Cape Town Stadium this year?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
R0 - R200
33% - 1814 votes
R200 - R500
32% - 1774 votes
R500 - R800
19% - 1082 votes
R800 - R1500
8% - 459 votes
R1500 - R2500
3% - 186 votes
I'd pay anything! It's the Boks v All Blacks!
5% - 252 votes
Vote
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE