According to The Athletic on Monday evening, Major League Soccer’s Orlando City is “chasing” Antoine Griezmann and are hoping to sign the Atlético de Madrid legend as a Designated Player in the coming weeks.
Tom Bogert, Mario Cortegana and Paul Tenorio report that Orlando City have held “advanced discussions” over personal terms with Griezmann, who is Atlético’s all-time top scorer with 209 goals. While the report says that three other MLS clubs are interested in signing Griezmann, Orlando holds his discovery rights, meaning they have the first crack at trying to acquire him. Inter Miami and Los Angeles FC have been linked with Griezmann is recent seasons, but both clubs have filled their three DP slots.
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While Orlando reportedly hopes to convince Griezmann to sign and begin playing for them during MLS’ Primary Window — which runs until March 26 — Matteo Moretto said Monday night that the former France star will stay in Madrid until the summer. While he could reach an agreement to join the Lions during the Secondary Window in July, Griezmann has long insisted that he wants to stay at Atlético until he wins a major domestic trophy, and the Rojiblancos are 90 minutes away from reaching April’s Copa del Rey final. The MLS season began Saturday; Orlando lost its opener to the New York Red Bulls.
Griezmann, who turns 35 next month, started this season slowly after he signed a new contract in June and — for the first time in his career — had to make do with a reserve role under Diego Simeone. However, Griezmann has been in good form over the past couple months, and he ranks second on the team with 12 goals across all competitions.
All six of Griezmann’s goals in LaLiga have come from the bench, the highest figure in the competition. He is Atleti’s top scorer in the Copa, with five strikes to his name — including the Colchoneros’ second in their 4-0 win over FC Barcelona in the first leg of the Copa del Rey semifinals.
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Reports of MLS interest in Griezmann are not new, given his fondness for American sports and culture. It’s always been assumed that eventually Griezmann would find his way to the United States before his career came to an end. Though he is signed through next season, and it is not clear whether Orlando have opened negotiations with Atlético over a transfer fee, Atleti likely will facilitate Griezmann’s exit without any problems if he wants to join the 2022 U.S. Open Cup champions Orlando City.
