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Feature
- 3 hours ago
Atletico Madrid stun Diego Simeone after 'amazing' offer
Tom Weber
- 4 Mar 2026 14:34 GMT
- 4 min read
News
Atletico Madrid could be tempted into selling Antoine Griezmann to Orlando City immediately, much to the dismay of Diego Simeone.
The France international has been in advanced talks to join the Major League Soccer franchise for over a week now. Orlando City would ideally like to make Griezmann their marquee signing of the primary transfer window, which shuts on 26 March.
However, it is believed that the 34-year-old, who has never made a secret of his desire to play in MLS, would prefer to see out the season with his beloved Atletico Madrid. It was previously thought that the club had the same stance.
Current ETV
Antoine Griezmann
F (C), M (L)
Atlético Madrid
Antoine Griezmann
F (C), M (L)
Atlético Madrid
ETV Range
€6.4M - €8.7M
This is seemingly no longer the case now. According to Cope, are willing to cash in on the France legend immediately because Orlando have made an "amazing" offer, though the report is unable to disclose exactly how much money is on the table.
Orlando, having lost their opening two games of the new season, believe that it is imperative that Griezmann arrives now instead of the summer. Director Ricardo Moreira has personally travelled to Europe to thrash out a deal.
Simeone wants Griezmann to stay
The final decision is ultimately up to Griezmann. The legendary attacker has earned the right to choose whether or not to take this opportunity without outside interference, and Atleti will respect his decision.
That said, it is clear that Atleti's players, as well as manager Simeone, want to keep Griezmann until the summer. On Tuesday, the Madrid club managed to sneak past Barcelona in the second leg of their Copa del Rey semi-final.
Atleti will have a great chance of winning the final as their opponents will either be Real Sociedad or Athletic Club, but the match will only take place in April. In other words, Griezmann would have to rebuff Orlando - for now - if he wants to win more silverware.
After the Barcelona game, Simeone said: "He deserves it more than anyone [to play in the final]. What he's achieved here is incredible. He'll retain that talent and quality for the rest of his life. What more can I say? I love him. I always want the best for him, and I hope he can play in this final."
Captain Koke echoed this sentiment: "I hope Griezmann plays in the final. I don't know what will happen to Antoine. It's up to him to decide his future. I hope it will be the best thing for him and for Atletico."
The ball is in Griezmann's court. Even if he were to turn down Orlando initially, chances are he would end up in MLS in the summer anyway. He has repeatedly stated that he wants to play stateside at some point.
In November, when it was still thought that he could join LAFC or Inter Miami, he reiterated his desire to move to the US. "Everyone knows that my dream, my objective, is MLS, but I am still under contract," he said.
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