French forward Antoine Griezmann of Atletico Madrid is close to signing with Orlando City Soccer Club. The transfer to the North American football championship, MLS, is expected to happen as early as this summer, a source close to the negotiations told AFP on Sunday.
Griezmann received permission from Atletico Madrid to travel to Florida during the international break to finalize a deal for a transfer this summer, the source confirmed, echoing reports from several media outlets.
The 2018 World Cup champion has been in talks with the Florida club for several weeks, which holds the player’s “discovery rights,” a mechanism in MLS that gives priority to a team for a transfer.
Atletico Madrid had initially closed the door at the beginning of the month to Griezmann leaving mid-season, during the American transfer window open until March 26.
Griezmann, who celebrated his 35th birthday on Saturday and is the all-time leading scorer for Atletico (211 goals), is expected to finally join the MLS this summer, a move that has been rumored for several years.
The former vice-captain of the French national team (137 caps, 44 goals) has openly expressed his interest in the United States and its professional sports leagues, particularly the NBA.
Even though he is no longer a guaranteed starter at Atletico Madrid, Griezmann has already scored 13 goals this season. Last year, he extended his contract with the Madrid club until June 2027.
The French forward still has the opportunity to compete for several trophies with Atletico Madrid this season, including the Copa del Rey final on April 18 against Real Sociedad, his former club, right after the Champions League quarterfinals against FC Barcelona on April 8 and 15.
A key player in Atletico’s Europa League success in 2018, Griezmann has yet to win a major title with the club, falling short in the Champions League final in 2016 and finishing second in La Liga in 2018 and 2019.
Atletico currently sits in 4th place in the Spanish league, 16 points behind leaders FC Barcelona, after their loss to Real Madrid on Sunday in the 29th round of matches.
Orlando has only won one match and suffered four defeats since the start of the MLS season in February.
