31 December 2023 , 00:57
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Atletico Madrid star Antoine Griezmann has admitted that he would be open to moving to Major League Soccer in the future.
Griezmann's future has been the subject of speculation for some time with links to the Premier League, namely Manchester United. The 32-year-old returned to Atletico in 2021 on a two-year loan deal with an obligation to buy.
The deal that saw Griezmann move back to the Spanish capital came after the World Cup winner spent two years in Barcelona after the La Liga giants agreed to meet his £107million release clause. Atletico paid a reported fee of £34.7m earlier this year after the loan spell came to an end to sign the forward on a permanent basis.
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Griezmann has now scored 173 goals in 365 total appearances for Atletico across his two spells with the club. During that time, the versatile forward has developed a close bond with the club that has become evident based on his latest interview.
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In an interview with Spanish news outlet AS, Griezmann admitted that he does not intend to play for another club in Europe apart from Atletico. The France international did acknowledge, though, that the idea of playing in the United States in the MLS is something that is of interest to him.
"I know that the club is in favour of being able to make an effort and we will talk about it," Griezmann said, when asked about extending his contract with Atletico, that currently expires in 2026.
"Beyond Europe, what I would like later is the MLS, I have always recognised that. But Atlético will be almost one hundred percent my last club in Europe. It's where I want to be, where I see myself happiest and here I am at home."
Recent weeks have seen Griezmann linked with a move to the Premier League. El Nacional reported that Man United are ready to make a move to sign the forward when the transfer window opens in the New Year.
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Antoine Griezmann has previously been linked with a move to Manchester United (Diego Souto/Getty Images)It was claimed that the Old Trafford club are ready to meet the £21.7m release clause that is in his contract with Atletico and pay him an annual salary of £18.2m which equates to around £350,000 per week.
Griezmann has scored 16 goals in 24 appearances this season for Atletico, including 11 in La Liga. That form has seen the Madrid club move up to third place in the league table, level on points with fourth-placed Barcelona and seven adrift of leaders Real Madrid and Girona who are separated only by goal difference.