Manchester United dealt blow as Barcelona register interest in Griezmann

There has been yet another twist in the Antoine Griezmann transfer saga as Barcelona emerge as the newest club to register their interest in the Frenchman.

Antoine Griezmann has been rumored to leave Atletico Madrid since the end of last season and after a below-average campaign in La Liga, Manchester United emerged as favorites to finally land their long-term target. 

Griezmann himself refused to deny reports linking him to Old Trafford. Speaking on a French television show, Quotidien, Griezmann was quoted by the Independent as saying there is a "six" out of 10 chance he will play for Manchester United next season. 

However, there is another twist to the story as Spanish newspaper Don Balon has reported that Barcelona are interested in signing the forward to bolster their attack.  

Barcelona recently lost the La Liga title to Real Madrid after five years and bowed out in the quarter-finals of the Champions League to Juventus. With Luis Enrique also set to leave in the summer, Barcelona are in need of quality players if they wish to regain glory next season. 

The report by Don Balon stated that Barcelona are looking at two options to pave the way for Griezmann - either by selling Neymar and directly replacing him with Griezmann or playing Messi in a deeper midfield role and allow the Frenchman to play in the centre-forward role. 

While it is unlikely that Griezmann will go to a rival club in La Liga, the news will still be a blow to Manchester United, who know they cannot match the guarantee of silverware Barcelona offers at this point.