Mop away those tears, transfer-obsessed Manchester United fans.
Although it seemed stitched on that Antoine Griezmann would be handed the club’s famous number seven jersey in a matter of days, developments on Thursday appear to show that the French international is staying put at Atletico Madrid.
A transfer ban for the Spanish club was followed by reports that United had ‘cooled their interest’ in Griezmann, with the man himself later indicating via his social media accounts that he was more committed to Atleti than ever before. Not bad saying he’d supposedly told them he wanted to leave 48 hours prior to this…
So, until the inevitable happens and another report emerges claiming the move is back on again, reporters from across the continent have been forced to think again as to who Jose Mourinho is targeting next.
At the same time it was reported that Griezmann was no longer a priority for United, many suggested that Mourinho wanted to bring in a number nine. As a result, plenty of Friday’s papers are suggesting United are lining up moves for a number of different players.
Everton’s Romelu Lukaku is one of those to be heavily linked, with the likes of the Daily Express claiming he is now United’s main target. With Wayne Rooney possibly on the brink of a return to Goodison Park and Mino Railoa – whose clients include Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Paul Pogba – also Lukaku’s agent, this is perhaps an easy link to make.
If Mourinho is still determined to blow a massive wedge of his transfer budget on a French international, there’s also the possibility of Lyon’s Alexandre Lacazette, too. Linked with Arsenal since he was a newborn child, the 26-year-old had seemed set to replace Griezmann at Atletico Madrid, a move that will now no longer be happening following their transfer ban. According to the Mirror, United could now take advantage of this.
Elsewhere, there are still murmurings that United could move for Torino’s Andrea Belotti and, from absolutely nowhere, a report from Goal that suggests a move for Werder Bremen striker Max Kruse could also be on the cards.
And we’re not done there, either. According to Italian journalist Gianluca Di Marzio, United are also keeping tabs on Real Madrid’s Alvaro Morata and Monaco’s Kylian Mbappe. Oh, and don’t forget that Neymar will almost certainly be linked with a switch to Old Trafford again before the summer’s out.
Don’t worry folks, it’s only three months until the transfer window closes.
