Atletico Madrid are expected to prioritise the signings of defenders this summer, but that would change if Antoine Griezmann were to leave. The talismanic French forward has long been linked with a move to the MLS, and if he decides to move on at the end of the season, the likelihood is that he will end up at Los Angeles FC alongside former international teammates Hugo Lloris and Olivier Giroud.
Atleti do not intend to meddle in Griezmann’s decision-making process, so they could be powerless to stop him leaving in the summer. While they already have his like-for-like replacement in Julian Alvarez, they would certainly look to bring in another striker to compete with Alexander Sorloth and Angel Correa.
Alvarez was signed from Manchester City last summer, and the Premier League route could be taken again by Atleti in 2025. According to CaughtOffside, one of the strikers that Los Colchoneros are keen on is Crystal Palace’s Jean-Philippe Mateta, who has 10 goals in 24 appearances in England’s top flight this season.
After signing from Mainz in January 2021, Mateta had a relatively disappointing first couple of years at Crystal Palace, but he has been in exceptional form since the arrival of head coach Oliver Glasner. He ended up with 19 Premier League goals last season, and he will fancy his chances of reaching that figure again come the end of the current campaign.
Whoever does come into Atleti to replace Griezmann will have very big shoes to fill. The 33-year-old, who became the club’s all-time top goalscorer last season, will leave a big void to fill, and there is no doubt that Diego Simeone will hope that it does not need to be filled until 2026, which is when his current contract is due to expire, at the earliest. As things stand, the decision on his future is expected to be made in the next couple of months.
