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Football

06th Nov 2016

Manchester United’s plans to sign Antoine Griezmann could be scuppered by Pep Guardiola

The race is on

SportsJOE

Get used to hearing plenty more about Antoine Griezmann in the months ahead.

The Atletico Madrid striker, top scorer at Euro 2016 with France, has been linked with a move away from the Spanish capital in the last few weeks, with reports suggesting Manchester United are at the front of the queue for his signature.

Real Sociedad de Futbol v Atletico Madrid - La Liga

United were said to have held talks about a move for Griezmann a couple of weeks ago, but reports on Sunday morning suggest that they may face stiff competition for his signature from Manchester City.

The Mirror claim that Pep Guardiola will be happy to part with £70m of Sheikh Mansour’s hard-earned money in order to land Griezmann – who is also said to be on Chelsea’s radar.

While United could clearly do with a bit more firepower, failure to secure Champions League football next season wouldn’t exactly help them entice a striker of Griezmann’s calibre. While City would have no trouble stumping up the cash for him, it’s unclear how he would fit into a front line that’s already crammed full of attacking talent.

With Atleti boss Diego Simeone leaving the club in the summer and Griezmann parting company with his agent recently, many expect the striker to move on from Vincente Calderon, three years on from arriving there from Real Soceidad.

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