Antoine Griezmann Comments on Future with Atletico Madrid

Atletico Madrid forward Antoine Griezmann has reiterated his commitment to the club, insisting he has “no intention” of moving elsewhere any time soon.

The France international has been a revelation since trading Real Sociedad for the capital club in the summer of 2014, proving to be a tremendous threat at the point of Diego Simeone’s side. And it seems as though Griezmann wants to continue in this role for a while yet.

“To try to get as far as possible in the [UEFA] Champions League with Atleti and win [UEFA] Euro 2016,” was the player’s response when asked about what plans he has for the year, per RMC (h/t Sergio Picos Moreno of AS). "That's all I'm thinking about. I have no intention of leaving Atletico.”

Griezmann didn’t rule out the possibility of returning to France further down the line, though: “Maybe, you never know in football, but right now, I'm not thinking that far ahead.”

Additionally, when speaking about his manager, the forward said: “I've learned a lot [from Simeone] and I hope to continue learning more.”

PATRICIA DE MELO MOREIRA/Getty Images

It takes a very special player to lead the line for Atletico, and Griezmann is undoubtedly befitting of that kind of moniker. Here is a reminder of some of his best moments from this season so far:

The striker has been linked with a move away from the Vicente Calderon lately. According to Tom Olver of Metro, Chelsea, Real Madrid and Manchester United have taken an interest in the player.

It’s little surprise. After all, the former La Real man can do it all. Formerly a wide forward, he’s now at his best in a central role, typically as a split striker. From this position, Griezmann has license to roam into space, pick the ball up on the half turn and make blistering runs forward from deep positions.

When he does find space in advanced areas, the Frenchman has the quality to influence the game, too. As Squawka Football noted here, Griezmann is very clinical when chances do come his way:

Although the established elite will be sniffing around in the summer, at the moment, Atletico seem to be the perfect fit for the 24-year-old. Simeone is helping him improve his game, he’s playing a key role in the side and while they currently trail league leaders Barcelona by eight points, the Madrid outfit are a team capable of challenging for major honours.

Griezmann has established himself as one of the finest players in the world, and according to AS (h/t Olver), Atletico are seeking to hand him a new deal that’ll double his release clause from £62 million to £125 million.

Given his exceptional form, there are teams who’d be willing to pay the former of those amounts, although it seems the man himself is contented.