Antoine Griezmann Talks Diego Simeone's Atletico Madrid Future Amid PSG Rumours

Atletico Madrid forward Antoine Griezmann thinks Diego Simeone will stay at the club this summer, having insisted he’d be “raging” if the coach was to depart. 

In the wake of Atletico’s loss to Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League final, Simeone did cast some doubts over his long-term future at the club, per BBC Sport. But Griezmann revealed he has spoken with his boss and is confident he won’t be going anywhere.

“I spoke to him and I'm pretty sure he's staying,” the forward told beIN Sports France (h/t Coral Barry of Sky Sports). “I'd be raging if he left. I still have a lot to learn from him. I spoke to Simeone, I'm nearly 100 per cent sure he won't leave.”

The claims from Simeone triggered plenty of speculation about where his future may lie. Indeed, as reported here by Bleacher Report’s Jonathan Johnson, talks between the Atletico boss and Paris Saint-Germain have reportedly taken place according to Le Parisien:

The 46-year-old looked particularly downtrodden in the wake of Atletico’s loss to Real. It was the second time in three years that their city rivals had beaten them in the Champions League final in dramatic fashion.

“I am thinking that I have to start thinking,” he said of his future, per BBC Sport. “It's a logical question for you to ask after a defeat like the one we've suffered today.”

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Still, it’s only natural to be reflective after such an emotional roller-coaster, and Atletico supporters and players will be hopeful the pain of such a galling loss had simply overcome their manager.

After all, the job done by Simeone at the Vicente Calderon Stadium is enough to put him alongside some of the finest coaches in the game’s history.

Not only has he built a team to challenge the might of Real and Barcelona, he stripped the 2014 outfit down and has done so again, as ESPN FC’s Dermot Corrigan noted here:

Simeone has a group at his disposal that are only going to improve. While the team may play like gritty veterans, there is a lot of youth in this Atletico squad, with Saul Niguez, Yannick Ferreira Carrasco, Jose Gimenez and Jan Oblak all 23 years old or younger.

Additionally, he’s aided the development of more senior players, with Gabi excelling in the middle of the park, Diego Godin lauded as one of the best central defenders in world football and Fernando Torres brought back from the brink of oblivion to become a hugely effective member of the squad.

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It’s easy to see why Griezmann would want him to stick around, as his own progression has arguably been the most striking of all.

Bleacher Report UK summed up what was a spectacular season for the France international:

You can’t imagine Simeone being warm and cuddly with the players, and, at times, his meticulous defensive work must be something of a chore. But it’s a credit to his motivational skills that he’s managed to get flair footballers such as Griezmann to buy into this way of playing.

It’s yielding success. Atletico have again come extremely close to being crowned as European football’s best side, while they were breathing down Barcelona’s neck for sizeable portions of the Liga season.

If they can keep this group together, they’re capable of going close again in 2016-17, although it’s tough to see them doing so without Simeone barking orders on the sidelines.