Should Manchester United renew their interest in Antoine Griezmann?

Manchester United were interested in signing Antoine Griezmann in the past but no deal was ever made. Is it time to renew their interest?

A long time has passed since that summer transfer window in which it appeared that Antoine Griezmann was going to complete his dream move to Manchester United.

Jose Mourinho had secured Champions League football by winning the 2017 Europa League in his first season at the club, spirits were high and fans were hungry for more star signings in the same calibre as players such as Paul Pogba and Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who arrived the year before.

Griezmann seemed like the perfect option to take the legendary number 7 shirt and complete United’s front line by slotting into the right-wing role.

He’s a left-footer, an international teammate and best friend of Pogba, and is apparently a Manchester United fan since he was a boy – if his brother’s antics are any indication of this.

So what went wrong?

The Atletico Madrid player was apparently reluctant to leave the La Liga side as they were still under a transfer ban at the time – and would’ve been unable to replace him if he left.

Although the forward’s loyalty was commendable, United fans were understandably disappointed.

Worse still, the dream of securing Griezmann in the following transfer window came to an end when United signed Arsenal’s Alexis Sanchez in January last year and handed him the vacant number 7 shirt.

There are no two ways about it – Sanchez has been immensely disappointing since arriving at the club. Apart from a few good performances – namely against Newcastle United and Arsenal – the Chilean has failed to add anything to the team.

But Griezmann still could.

Indeed, who’s to say that United can’t simply renew their interest in the Frenchman?

Sanchez would have to leave the club first, which isn’t at all unlikely, given that he hasn’t been playing much under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

The caretaker manager could even arrange a swap deal with Atletico Madrid, each team trading their number 7’s – although we would almost certainly have to fork out a transfer fee on top of this.

This isn’t all that absurd a proposition, given that Atletico have signed two strikers since United were last interested in Griezmann – Diego Costa and Alvaro Morata (on loan).

If Griezmann is still keen on a move to Old Trafford, this dream transfer could still be a reality – the board just need to get behind Solskjaer and give him the necessary funds in the summer transfer window.

Do you agree that Manchester United should renew their interest in Antoine Griezmann? Or should the club target someone else? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!