Wenger has not given up hope of signing Griezmann

Arsene Wenger has not given up hope of luring Atletico Madrid superstar Antoine Griezmann to Arsenal in the near future, despite interest from rival Premier League clubs, according to reports.

Tuttomercatoweb is reporting that Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger remains hopeful of being able to sign Antoine Griezmann from Atletico Madrid.

Griezmann signed a new contract at the Vicente Calderon in the summer, bumping his release clause up to a whopping €100 million.

But that mammoth fee would still be short of the €105 million world record sum Manchester United paid to re-sign Paul Pogba from Juventus this summer.

Wenger is known to be a huge admirer of Griezmann, but any move that Arsenal make to sign the 25-year-old would be contested by both Manchester United and Chelsea, who have both been linked with moves to the player several times in the last two years.

Griezmann, who was the top scorer at the UEFA European Championships in France this summer, and has recently returned to action for his club, helping Atleti get back on track in La Liga after a stuttering start in his absence.

The former Real Sociedad player is also thought to be among the leading contenders for this year’s Ballon d’Or award, and could potentially upset the recent dominance over the award of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.