Manchester United are reportedly planning a double raid on Atletico Madrid for Saul Niguez and Antoine Griezmann in a deal that could cost them £145 million.
English media outlet the Times have reported that Jose Mourinho has given the green light to Manchester United to prepare a double bid in order to land Atletico Madrid stars Saul Niguez and Antoine Griezmann in the summer transfer window.
Jose Mourinho continues to work on his squad overhaul, having arrived at Manchester United in the summer. The Portuguese made four high profile signings before the start of the season as Eric Bailly, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Paul Pogba arrived at the club to boost his options all through the field.
The next phase of Mourinho’s overhaul will kick in next summer as the United boss has identified Atletico Madrid duo Saul Niguez and Antoine Griezmann as the next two targets to improve his squad.
Tomorrow’s front page: Clappy New Year for Klopp | Jose plots £145m Atletico raid | Cipriani misses out | Chelsea make it 13 in a row pic.twitter.com/q6EHkG1MaK
— Sunday Times Sport (@ST_Sport) December 31, 2016
France international Antoine Griezmann, who has been a well-known target for Manchester United as well as several other clubs for quite some time, is reported to have been identified as long-term replacement for Wayne Rooney.
The 25-year-old has yet again been influential for Los RojiBlancos this season having scored 9 times and assisted six goals in 24 appearances in all competitions for his side. With Diego Simeone linked with a move away from the Vicente Calderon, Griezmann could be available in the summer having said that he’d be open to a move if the Argentine departed the club.
Saul Niguez, on the other hand, was a reported target for Manchester United in the early parts of the summer transfer window, before he snubbed the Red Devils’ pursuits to sign a new deal with Atletico Madrid until 2021.
Midfielders Morgan Schneiderlin and Bastian Schweinsteiger are set to depart Old Trafford over the next two window, and Michael Carrick is well and truly in the twilight of his remarkable career. Niguez has been impressive for his side in the first of this season from the centre of the park and has also chipped in with three goals.
And the versatility of the 22-year-old that allows him to play anywhere in a three-man midfield could just be the perfect player to fit in Mourinho’s setup alongside Ander Herrera and Paul Pogba.
The Times also added in their report that, having signed fresh deals with Atletico Madrid in the summer, the release clauses of Griezmann and Niguez amount to an astronomical £145 million. However, the report pointed out that United are confident that a transfer fee lower than that amount can be negotiated.
One thing looks to be certain though. The overhaul at Manchester United will resume in the summer as Mourinho continues to shape the squad at Old Trafford in his image.
