Sergio Ramos urges Antoine Griezmann to join Manchester United, two years after rejecting them himself

The Frenchman told Atleti of his wish to leave the club on Tuesday

Jack Austin
Wednesday 31 May 2017 15:37 BST
Comments
(Getty)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Sergio Ramos has admitted he hopes Manchester United sign Antoine Griezmann this summer – in order to weaken Atletico Madrid and make the league easier for Real.

Griezmann looks set to be the subject of yet another long drawn-out transfer saga that United were keen to avoid, having gone through it last season with Paul Pogba.

The Independent broke the news that Griezmann had told Atletico of his intention to leave the club for United on Tuesday as the transfer began to edge closer to fruition with United willing to pay the Frenchman’s £87.4m release clause.

He had previously rated his chances of moving to Old Trafford as “six out of 10” but United qualifying for the Champions League by winning the Europa League has made the transfer more likely, with officials at the club expecting the deal to be complete by the end of June.

And Ramos, who was linked with a move to Old Trafford in 2015 before signing a new deal to stay at Real Madrid, is hoping La Liga has seen the last of Griezmann.

“If they [Manchester United] take him, if they take him out from Atletico, it would be less of a problem for us ahead of next season,” Ramos told Spanish radio station Cadena Cope.

“Every footballer is their own world and one must make these kind of decisions.

“Sometimes they are difficult and sometimes they are not. Everyone has to decide where he wants to be, where he is going to be happy.

“He is a great striker and obviously the top clubs express interest in getting their services. He can decide what he wants.”

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in