Chelsea’s chances of signing Atletico Madrid star Antoine Griezmann have increased drastically after footballing super agent Jorge Mendes entered the negotiations.
The agent, who has hundreds of clients in the game, including Jose Mourinho and Diego Costa, has already held talks with the winger and has urged him to join the Premier League champions.
Chelsea have been interested in the Frenchman in recent weeks and are keen to secure a deal before the Summer transfer window officially opens so they don’t have to undergo a bidding war with any teams.
Mourinho is already planning for next season’s title defence and believes his attacking options need improving despite already having a wealth of options.
The 24-year-old has hit 22 goals for Atletico this season after completing his Summer move from Real Sociedad, but his stay in the Spanish capital could be short-term due to Chelsea’s interest.
The two clubs have a good relationship together since Thibaut Courtois spent three years on loan there, and Costa and Filipe Luis both left the La Liga side for Stamford Bridge this season.
It’s reported that Griezmann has a release clause of around £43million, but Chelsea are hoping to strike a deal for less due to their relationship with Atletico and with Mendes’ influence.
However, it’s understood that Atletico are holding out for £43m, or would like to do a player-swap with Luis keen on returning to Spain after a less than successful year in England.
With the use of Luis, that would take around £15m off the asking-price, so Chelsea would then have to pay around £28m.
Written by Alex Batt – @AlexBatt – @AlexsArticles
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