Man Utd appears to have lost a position in the race to land their long-term target Antoine Griezmann.
Barcelona is said to have moved into pole position to sign the Frenchman as they look to close the gap on their Spanish rivals and once again claim dominance in the Spanish league.
Attempts to sign Griezmann
Jose Mourinho and his team have been tracking Greizmann for a number of months and made a number of attempts to sign their target in the summer transfer window. Many teams have been linked with the current Madrid ace but few clubs have the appeal of both Barcelona and Man Utd.
One of the biggest hurdles in the attempt to sign Griezmann was the transfer ban that Atletico Madrid had to serve. This ban is due to end in January, which will allow the Madrid club to become active in the market once more and allow them to recruit any potential replacements for their wantaway star.
Interest from Barcelona - a prospect that cannot be turned down
Barcelona still have a lot of money left from the deal that saw Neymar depart from the club in the summer of 2017. As the club is struggling for form of late, signing a key player with proven experience in the League will be a tempting prospect. Barcelona appears to have agreed to offer the player the mega pay back that he is looking for.
The ball is very much in the hands of Griezmann and his representatives as they look to seal the superstar's next move. The 26-year-old has managed to reach double digits in goals in the League over the last six seasons and is well on track to continue this trend in the current season. A bumper move within the same League may well appeal to the player as he knows the League and he is comfortable and well suited for the League style of football which suits his style of play.
Making a move outside of the League that a player has made their name in, is something that often causes issues for a number of players. While any move to the Premier League is an attractive idea, however, the more physical style of play in the League is not something that suits all players - especially more creative and technical players.
Griezmann will need to decide whether the increased physicality of the League is a challenge that he able to handle.
Without a doubt there is likely to be a few more twists and turns in this story yet. The player is going to be in high demand and it will take a large, potentially world record deal for any club to convince Madrid to let one of the star players go.
