Atletico Madrid have managed to keep their star player Antoine Griezmann at the club by announcing a contract extension for him on Monday. Atletico reportedly offered him £17.5m and a promise of £100m transfer spend to challenge for titles.
But it seems Griezmann listened to his heart more than his head by putting pen to paper on a new deal with Atletico as Manchester United and Barcelona were reportedly interested in signing him this summer.
Griezmann is still one the most sought-after players in the game today. He’s an absolute gem of a footballer who can perform anywhere and get the job done. That being said, it still remains to be seen if he will be able to help Atletico compete with Real Madrid and Barcelona for the league title next season.
As a career choice, moving to Barcelona would have garnered him a lot of success, both domestically and on the European front. He did win the Europa League with Atletico last season but it is widely considered as a second-tier tournament.
A move to the Camp Nou would have helped him to push his career forward. In addition, he almost certainly would have won several trophies with the Catalan giants, who challenge for the league title and the Champions League on a regular basis.
Manchester United were also interested in him, and he possesses enough qualities and skills to have made an impact at Old Trafford. The Red Devils under Jose Mourinho are slowly but surely assembling a squad capable of challenging for the Premier League title next season after finishing a staggering 19 points behind champions Manchester City last term.
The chance to play in the Premier League would have also been a fresh challenge for Griezmann, who has scored goals for fun in Spain. The Frenchman could have been the ideal star signing for United, who are desperate to bring the glory days back at Old Trafford.
Griezmann rejecting Barcelona and Manchester United in favour of staying at Atletico Madrid will probably go down as one of the biggest snubs of the summer transfer window. But the Frenchman would have certainly made a better career choice if he had opted to sign for the European giants.
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