Atlético de Madrid’s French striker Antoine Griezmann is close to signing for MLS (Major League Soccer) side Orlando City in a summer transfer, two sources close to the negotiations told AFP.
Griezmann received permission from Atlético de Madrid to travel to Florida during the FIFA Data international break to finalize the agreement, a source said on Sunday (22), confirming reports from several media outlets.
The Frenchman “in fact has permission from the club to travel to Orlando on his days off in order to advance conversations related to his future”, another source close to the player confirmed to AFP this Monday (23).
The 2018 World Cup champion has been negotiating for several weeks with the Florida club, which holds the player’s “discovery rights,” an MLS mechanism that grants priority to a team in a transfer.
Griezmann, who turned 35 on Saturday (21), is the top scorer in Atlético’s history, with 211 goals.
The former vice-captain of the French national team (137 games, 44 goals) has always shown an interest in the United States and its professional sports leagues, especially the NBA.
Although he is no longer an absolute starter for Atlético de Madrid, Griezmann has scored 13 goals this season. Last year, he extended his contract with the Madrid club until June 2027.
The striker is aiming for several titles with Atlético de Madrid this season: he is scheduled to play in the Copa del Rey final on April 18th against Real Sociedad, his first club, right after the quarter-finals of the Champions League against Barcelona, where he also played, on April 8th and 15th.
Atlético de Madrid currently occupies fourth place in the Spanish Championship after 29 rounds, 16 points behind leaders Barcelona. The team was defeated 3-2 at the Santiago Bernabéu by Real Madrid on Sunday.
Orlando City have won just one match and suffered four defeats since the start of the MLS season in February.
