Man Utd want Griezmann to replace Rooney

Manchester United have identified Antoine Griezmann as the ideal player to replace club-captain Wayne Rooney at the end of the campaign.

Rooney, 30, is currently in the second last year of his contract at Old Trafford, signs are he could be released in the summer of 2017.

According to reports in France, the Red Devils will step up the pursuit for Griezmann, who is eyeing a fresh challenge next season.

Griezmann is assessing his future at Vicente Calderon after his favourite Diego Simeone decided to cut short his contract.

Simeone had been expected to remain until 2020, before he made a surprise decision to reduce his contract length by two years (June 2018).

Nevertheless, Griezmann would cost a club-record bid of around £90m, and United are likely to face competition from the likes of Chelsea and Arsenal for his signature.