There is bad news for Manchester United in the Daily Mail, which claims Barcelona have “agreed a deal in principle” to sign Atletico Madrid frontman Antoine Griezmann.
Citing reports in the French press, the newspaper says the Catalan giants are in the driving seat to land the 26-year-old goalscorer next summer, despite repeated stories this year saying his preferred destination was Old Trafford.
Griezmann signed a new deal with Atletico in the summer, but has a release clause in his contract reported to be in the region of £170m. However, that presents no obstacle to either United or Barcelona, both of whom have been monitoring him this season.
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So far this term, the forward has struggled to hit top form, with just three goals for the La Liga outfit, leading to reports he is a “frustrated figure” at Atletico.
Goals have been easier to come by on the international stage, as he demonstrated last week by scoring in France’s 2-0 win over Wales, and it’s that quality the Mail says will lead Barcelona to meet the release clause as they look for an emblematic striker to replace Neymar.
Might United have better luck in landing Real Madrid’s Gareth Bale? Yes, says The Sun, who claim Los Galacticos “have lost patience” with the injury-prone Welsh winger and will sell him in the summer.
Taking their lead from Spanish paper AS, the paper says Real have decided to cut their losses and offload Bale, who has missed 40% of games through injury since arriving at the Bernabeu from Tottenham in 2013.
Currently sidelined until the New Year with a thigh injury, the 28-year-old winger was linked to Old Trafford in the summer and the Spanish media believe a move could materialise, with United eager to snap up a player whose transfer fee has plummeted from £133m to £80m because of his injury problems over the years.
Intriguingly, AS says Real are poised to use the money from selling Bale to make an audacious move for Kylian Mbappe, who moved to Paris Saint-Germain from Monaco on loan in the summer but has yet to commit himself to the French giants.
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