Lionel Messi moved to Inter Miami in the summer of 2023, and since then, several of his former teammates have followed him. One more former Barcelona star was linked with a switch this window, but the deal is hanging by a thread.
Lionel Messi’s Former Teammate Won’t Be Moving to MLS
Orlando City is looking to bolster the squad and has been in talks with Atletico Madrid for Antoine Griezmann. According to a report in L’Équipe, the deal is 95% done, and the Frenchman was keen on joining the MLS side.
The Spanish side’s director of football, Mateu Alemany, has now claimed that they are not thinking of selling their star player. He said the focus remains on the Frenchman playing the rest of the season and finishing his contract, which has another 16 months left, at the club.
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Speaking to the media after the UEFA Champions League draw on Friday in Switzerland, Alemany said that it was all media speculation about the possible exit. He claimed that the former Barcelona star is thinking about facing the Catalan side in the Copa del Rey second leg next week, after the Real Oviedo clash in the league on Saturday, Feb. 28, and said:
“Antoine has this season and two more years of contract with us, and he’s absolutely focused on what’s coming up. He’s performing very well. We’re thinking about him helping us tomorrow, on Tuesday, and in the Champions League. All the rest is speculation.”
Comments from Alemany come just days after club manager Diego Simeone confirmed that they were in talks to keep Griezmann at the club. He hinted that the Frenchman will be a part of the squad for the next four matches and said:
“We’re talking to Antoine. He knows how important he is to us. We don’t have to put pressure on him. We have to focus on what’s ahead of us, which is great: Oviedo, Barcelona, Real Sociedad, Tottenham.”
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Griezmann was among the latest high-profile players linked with a move from Europe to the MLS. His Atletico Madrid teammate, Rodrigo De Paul, joined Inter Miami on loan last summer, before making his move permanent in December.
Despite Alemany’s rebuff, ESPN reports that talks between Atletico Madrid and Orlando City are ongoing. They claim the two clubs are in the final stages of sealing the deal, and Lionel Messi’s former teammate will join MLS rivals before March 26, when the transfer window shuts.
