Manchester United Transfer Rumors 2018: Antoine Griezmann Demanding £400,000 a Week to Make the Switch to Old Trafford
Manchester United may still have a chance to sign Antoine Griezmann this summer even though Barcelona are interested in the Atlético Madrid forward as well.
There's one caveat, though. The Red Devils have to be willing to pay Griezmann £400,000 a week for him to join them, per The Sun's Daniel Cutts.
According to the report, United had offered Griezmann a £290,000-a-week deal during negotiations last summer, but the French forward is now asking for £100,000-a-week more after he found out how much other stars have been making.
"The package offered last year which was agreed is now a lot less than what he wants next summer," a United source told The Sun. "The club is desperate to sign him but it is an awful lot of money. His people are making different demands which the club might be reluctant to give in to," the source continued.
Well, that's unfortunate because United could really use someone like him to take some pressure off Romelu Lukaku. The Belgian striker has been struggling in recent weeks after a quick start to the season, and the presence of a goal-scoring threat like Griezmann would help him greatly.
Atlético Madrid are unlikely to let him leave in January, but ESPN's Mark Ogden believes that United should attempt to lure him to Old Trafford this month.
"Why not go for him now and maybe start preparing for next summer?" Ogden said, via the Daily Express.
"He's a player that United like, he scores goals, his future at Atletico Madrid is uncertain so it's a deal that could be done in January," he added.
Meanwhile, ESPN has reported that Griezmann is reluctant to make the move to Manchester because he prefers to stay in Spain. However, the Mirror has claimed that the Red Devils are the frontrunners for his signature once he leaves in the summer.