Manchester United chose to be very public in their pursuit of Atletico Madrid striker Antoine Griezmann and their failure to secure a deal has left Jose Mourinho with egg on his face.
Everything seemed set for the French striker to become the latest big-money mover to Old Trafford during the close season, with Griezmann himself even rating his chances of sealing a move to the Premier League as 6/10.
In the end though, Atletico Madrid’s failure to overturn a transfer ban led Diego Simeone’s side to retain the services of their starring forward – and now the chances of Manchester United ever sealing a move seem club, as the club confirmed today a new five-year deal has been reached.
?⚪? @AntoGriezmann extends his contract until 2022 ?
Congratulations! ??
➡ https://t.co/cGLFBBVDo5 #Griezmann2022 #GoAtleti pic.twitter.com/CpetqUyJYR— Atlético de Madrid (@atletienglish) June 13, 2017
It’s a case of deja vu for Manchester United as they’ve seen similar situations occur with their pursuit of Neymar, who penned an extension with Barcelona until 2021 back in October, whilst Sergio Ramos extended his deal with Real Madrid back in 2015.
Like the Griezmann pursuit, Manchester United’s desire to sign both superstars was hapless and the interest from the Red Devils ended up being a bargaining chip for both players during their discussions to extend their deals.
It seems Manchester United keep on being distracted by the shiny lure agents throw into the transfer market’s waters, suggesting their client is interested in a high profile transfer and then negotiating a new contract with their client’s current club after the Red Devils fall hook, line and sinker.
Question marks have to be raised about Manchester United’s choice of approach during the transfer window as they always make plenty of waves on the market, whilst the likes of Arsenal prefer to keep their deals under wraps.
Every club inevitably misses out on superstar signings but the fact Manchester United went all out to try and secure a deal leaves the club very red faced, as they cannot deny their interest and the fact that they were ultimately rejected.
Are you under-appreciated at work?
Do you deserve more money?
Just call Man United on 0161 868 8000 and we’ll help.
100% success rate. pic.twitter.com/KJZ5GSExpx
— The Peoples Person (@PeoplesPerson_) June 13, 2017
A deal for Griezmann could still be reached after next summer’s World Cup, as reports indicate Atletico haven’t raised the French striker’s release-clause, but the Red Devils are in need of a top-class striker now – and the situation may be entirely different next season.
From Griezmann’s perspective, staying with Atletico is certainly the safe option as he has spent the entirety of his career in Spain. If he were to move to the Premier League and struggle to adapt, his spot in Didier Deschamps’ squad next summer could come under threat as Les Bleus boast the talents of Olivier Giroud, Karim Benzema, Alexandre Lacazette and Kylian Mbappe to name a few.
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