According to reports from The Sun, Chelsea and Manchester United are stepping up their interest in Atletico Madrid forward Antonine Griezmann ahead of the summer transfer window.
The former Real Sociedad winger has flourished since moving to Vincente Calderon in summer 2014, reinventing himself as a centre-forward to bag 47 goals in 92 appearances across all competitions – including 15 strikes in La Liga so far this season.
Chelsea and Manchester United have been linked with the 24-year-old for some time and were reportedly hot on his heels last summer, until a contract extension in the Spanish capital raised his release clause to a lofty €80million.
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Fearing Griezmann will attract similar interest in the coming transfer window, Atletico are hoping to bump up the France international’s release clause once again to an incredible £115million according to The Sun – meaning potential suitors will have to set a new world-record transfer fee to sign him this summer.
But the versatile attacker remains unconvinced by Atletico’s latest contract proposal, most particularly in regards to his buyout fee, which will be seen as incredibly positive news at Chelsea and United with the summer transfer window now on the horizon.
Should Griezmann’s reluctance continue, his price tag will not only remain within the realms of plausibility, but could also cause the friction required to catalyse an abrupt departure ahead of next season.