soccer

Antoine Griezmann on the verge of rejecting Orlando City move

Antoine Griezmann on the verge of rejecting Orlando City move

In recent weeks, there has been a lot of speculation regarding the future of Antoine Griezmann at Atletico Madrid. Orlando City have been pushing hard to sign him immediately for the start of the new MLS campaign, which would leave Diego Simeone one attacker down for the remainder of the European season.

Atleti are determined to retain Griezmann’s services until the summer at the very least, with Siimeone and director of football Mateu Alemany working to convince the former France international to remain at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano.

Simeone convincing Griezmann to turn down MLS move

The 34-year-old snubbed a 2025 move to the MLS, and this time around, a similar result is expected. Pablo Pinto has revealed to Cadena SER that Griezmann is now much closer to staying at Atleti until the end of the season.

“Now he’s closer to staying. Orlando continues to push, they say it has to be now and that they won’t wait until the summer. If he ends up staying, which right now seems closer than the option of leaving, it’s solely and exclusively because of Cholo (Simeone). In the last few days, he’s done a very important job of conviction. Practically, he’s gotten into Antoine’s head, telling him that he can’t leave now. He’s putting that doubt in his body.”

Image via Angel Martinez/Getty Images

Atleti have a number of plates spinning at the moment, with success possible in the Champions League and Copa del Rey. Griezmann will almost certainly miss out on winning La Liga once again, but if he sticks around, he has a decent chance of ending his second spell at Los Colchoneros with silverware.

It remains to be seen how Griezmann’s situation plays out over the coming weeks. Orlando City are continuing to push for his signing, but as of right now, Atleti still retain his services.

Read full story at Yahoo Sport →