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Man Utd news: Antoine Griezmann used Red Devils interest to get new contract - Filipe Luis
ANTOINE GRIEZMANN used interest from Manchester United to earn a new contract at Atletico Madrid.
Jesse Lingard reveals he wants Antoine Griezmann at Man United
That is according to his Madrid team-mate Filipe Luis.
Griezmann was Manchester United’s major transfer target in the summer with as they looked for a world-class striker to replace Zlatan Ibrahimovic and said on French TV that his chances of joining them were “six out of 10”.
But the Court of Arbitration for Sport’s decision to uphold Madrid’s transfer ban over the signing of minors saw the France star opt to stay in Spain.
Griezmann then signed a new contract leading United to move for Alvaro Morata before eventually signing Romelu Lukaku for £75million.
Often players talk when they feel they are not being valued as they deserve
Some reports suggest United will make another move for Griezmann next summer, with the striker having a £87m release clause.
But Luis claims Griezmann was never interested in joining United and only wanted Atletico to show how much they value him.
"[Griezmann] is a kid who speaks very clearly," Luis told El Mundo.
"Often players talk when they feel they are not being valued as they deserve.
"Then they get more attention. He would have had many offers from many teams.
"A player of his size wants to be up with the biggest in terms of contract and value. And that is fair - as Griezmann is doing great here.
"In the end, for all the talk about other clubs, he always wanted to stay here and he is still here, happy and liking it.
"For sure, he can stay much longer. We hope the fans understand this and everything gets back to normal, although he has been scoring goals, and goals cure everything."