Griezmann reportedly in talks over move to Orlando City | OneFootball

French forward Antoine Griezmann, currently at Atlético de Madrid, is in negotiations with Orlando City for a transfer to Major League Soccer (MLS), a source familiar with the negotiations told AFP on Monday, although another source close to the player stated that no agreement has been reached.

Griezmann, 34, has been repeatedly linked to several MLS clubs as the final destination of his career. He is an outspoken fan of other American sports leagues, such as the NBA and NFL.

Priority

Orlando City holds Griezmann’s ‘discovery rights’ in MLS, the first source confirmed.

This mechanism gives them priority over other clubs in negotiations with the 2018 World Cup champion, whose talks were first reported on Monday by The Athletic website.

Contacted by AFP on Tuesday (24), a source close to the player admitted that “there have been negotiations” between the two parties, “but nothing is finalized.”

The Atlético de Madrid striker “is in the middle of a season with big goals,” the source added. The Spanish team qualified for the Champions League round of 16 on Tuesday after thrashing Belgian side Club Brugge at home 4-1 (the first leg ended in a 3-3 draw).

Current Situation

The MLS transfer window is open from January 26 to March 26, before a second window between July 13 and September 2.

The top scorer in Atlético de Madrid’s history (210 goals), the striker renewed his contract with the club last June, extending it until June 2027.

According to The Athletic, Orlando City has not yet started formal talks with Atlético de Madrid about Griezmann, who is no longer an undisputed starter under Diego Simeone, but has scored 12 goals in 35 games this season.

Atlético de Madrid currently sits fourth in LaLiga after 25 rounds and is 13 points behind leaders Barcelona.

Kaká and Nani’s Team

‘Grizou’, who will turn 35 in March, is a true legend of the Spanish club, where he played from 2014 to 2019 before transferring to Barcelona and returning, first on loan and finally permanently in 2022.

A key player in the Europa League triumph in 2018, the player from Mâcon came close to winning Atlético’s most coveted titles, finishing as runner-up in the Champions League in 2016 and runner-up in LaLiga in 2018 and 2019.

For the French national team, from which he retired in 2024, he scored 44 goals in 137 matches and won the 2018 World Cup in Russia.

Next Destination: Orlando?

Orlando City, meanwhile, kicked off the new MLS season on Saturday with a 2-1 defeat to the New York Red Bulls.

The team, coached by Colombian Óscar Pareja since 2020, finished last season in ninth place in the Eastern Conference and did not qualify for the playoffs.

Since joining MLS in 2015, Orlando has never reached the championship final, despite having attracted renowned players in the past, such as Brazilian Kaká and Portuguese Nani.

If his transfer to Orlando, Florida goes through, Griezmann would live less than 400 kilometers from Lionel Messi, his former Barcelona teammate and now the biggest star in MLS as the leader of Inter Miami.

*Content produced by AFP

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