Madrid, March 23 Atletico Madrid forward Antoine Griezmann will leave the club at the end of the season to join Major League Soccer side Orlando City.
Spanish sports dailies Diario AS, Sport, and El Mundo Deportivo are among the outlets reporting that Griezmann has been permitted by Atletico to travel to the United States during the current international break to sign his contract with Orlando City, with club sources confirming the move.
"Antoine Griezmann has been authorised by his club to travel to Orlando during his days off in order to make progress in the discussions linked to his future," the source said on Monday.
There had been speculation that Griezmann could leave Atletico in February while the MLS transfer window was still open, but the 35-year-old's strong form and the fact that Atletico remains in the Champions League and has also reached this season's Copa del Rey final persuaded him to stay until the end of the current campaign, reports Xinhua.
Griezmann is Atletico's all-time leading scorer with 211 goals and ranks fourth in appearances in the club's history, having played 488 matches over 10 seasons.
Griezmann began his senior club career with Spanish side Real Sociedad in 2009, where he had previously been a youth graduate, and won the Segunda División in his first season.
In 2014, the 35-year-old born in Mâcon, France, joined Atlético Madrid for a then-club record €30 million and won the UEFA Europa League, UEFA Super Cup, Supercopa de España, and La Liga Best Player award with them. He was nominated for the Ballon d'Or and Best FIFA Men's Player in 2016 and 2018.
In 2019, Griezmann was the subject of a record football transfer when he signed for Barcelona in a transfer worth €120 million, becoming the fifth-most expensive player of all time. There, he won a Copa del Rey before returning to Atlético Madrid in 2021, becoming the club's all-time top goalscorer.
Griezmann played 137 matches for France, scoring 44 goals for his native country.
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