Orlando City in talks to sign French star Antoine Griezmann | OneFootball

The Frenchman Antoine Griezmann, forward for Atlético de Madrid, is negotiating with Orlando City for his arrival in the North American league (MLS), as reported on Monday to AFP by a source familiar with the negotiations, “but nothing is finalized,” noted another source close to the forward.

Griezmann, 34, has been persistently linked to different MLS clubs as the final destination of his career, being a declared admirer of other American sports leagues, such as the NBA and the NFL.

Orlando City's Discovery Rights

Orlando City is the franchise that holds the so-called “discovery rights” for Griezmann in the MLS, confirmed the first source. This mechanism gives them priority over other clubs for talks with the French world champion, which were anticipated on Monday by The Athletic.

Negotiations Still Open

When consulted about the footballer's situation on Tuesday by AFP, a source admitted that “there have been negotiations” between the two parties, “but nothing is finalized.” The current Atlético forward “is in the middle of a season with big goals,” including qualifying for the Champions League round of 16. Atlético hosts Club Brugge this Tuesday after a 3-3 in the first leg, added his entourage.

The MLS transfer market is open from January 26 to March 26, before a second window between July 13 and September 2. The top scorer in Atlético's history (210 goals), the forward extended his contract with the team last June until June 2027.

According to The Athletic, Orlando has not yet opened formal talks with Atlético about Griezmann, who is no longer an undisputed starter for Diego Simeone but has scored 12 goals in 35 games this season. Currently, Atlético is in fourth place in the Spanish league after 25 rounds, 13 points behind the leader, Barcelona.

Career and Achievements

“Grizou,” who will turn 35 in March, is a legend of the Spanish club, for which he played from 2014 to 2019, before moving to Barcelona and then returning, first on loan and finally permanently in 2022.

A key player in the Europa League success in 2018, the player from Mâcon came close to the most coveted titles for Atlético, being runner-up in the Champions League in 2016 and second in the Spanish leagues of 2018 and 2019. For the national team, from which he retired in 2024, he scored 44 goals in 137 matches and lifted the World Cup trophy in Russia in 2018.

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Orlando City's Moment in MLS

Orlando City, in turn, debuted on Saturday in the new MLS season with a 2-1 defeat against the New York Red Bulls. The team, under the command of Colombian coach Óscar Pareja since 2020, finished last season in ninth place in the Eastern Conference and did not qualify for the playoffs.

Since joining the MLS in 2015, Orlando has never reached the championship final, despite having attracted world-class figures in the past, such as Brazilian Kaká and Portuguese Nani. If his move to Orlando (Florida) materializes, Griezmann will settle less than 400 kilometers from Lionel Messi, his former teammate at Barcelona and now the top star of the MLS as the leader of Inter Miami.

*Content produced by AFP

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.