Manchester United Transfer News: Latest Antoine Griezmann, Wayne Rooney Rumours

Antoine Griezmann will replace Wayne Rooney at Manchester United, as Jose Mourinho triggers the France international's £83.5 million release clause, according to journalist Pilib de Brun.

The TalkSport contributor said the Red Devils are confident of capturing the striker, and they have told the player they are willing to match Atletico Madrid's valuation:

De Brun went on to explain his thoughts further on Periscope (h/t Colin Harvey of the Daily Star):

"

Contact was made with Griezmann a while ago actually.

As you've probably noticed in the last month or two Griezmann did an interview where he said some encouraging things about the Premier League, about Paul Pogba and Manchester United.

I also said a while ago that [Jose] Mourinho had said to [Wayne] Rooney if he wanted regular football be would have to leave to get it. That is still the case.

It looks like Griezmann will be brought in as a replacement for Rooney.

I do know that the situation with Griezmann is he's keen, United are confident they'll get him.

"

The French attacker was named the third-best player in the world when the Ballon d'Or award was announced on Monday, behind only Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, per BBC Sport.

Here is the striker in action:

Griezmann has been prolific for Atleti since signing from Real Sociedad in 2014, and his reputation has exploded on the world stage.

The France international already has nine goals and six assists in La Liga and the UEFA Champions League this term, according to WhoScored.com, and he scored six in seven matches at Euro 2016 in the summer.

Griezmann recently admitted he did consider leaving the Spanish giants when manager Diego Simeone's future was in doubt. Speaking to GQ France (h/t Uche Amako of the Daily Express), he revealed how he'd thought about departing the Vicente Calderon Stadium last season.

The forward said: "I had some doubts [about my future at Atletico Madrid] last summer when there were reports Simeone could leave."

Clive Brunskill/Getty Images

Rooney is no longer an automatic starter for United, and Mourinho has chosen to use the club captain as an impact player from the bench.

The decision has left Zlatan Ibrahimovic as the club's primary striker, and the team has appeared short of goals in the early weeks of the campaign.

Griezmann is an individual who is coming into his own, and—much like Pogba—he will soon desire a bigger stage to prove his worth.

Old Trafford will be the perfect venue for the striker to further excel, earning the kudos of United fans if he can put the club back on top in the Premier League.