Manchester United Transfer News: Latest Antoine Griezmann, Gareth Bale Rumours

Manchester United may have decided to pursue Atletico Madrid forward Antoine Griezmann after learning Real Madrid attacker Gareth Bale is unavailable for transfer.

However, Atleti's president Enrique Cerezo has said the France international is content in Madrid, while also referring to the Red Devils as a "small team."

Spanish football expert Guillem Balague mentioned Bale as a no-go while answering questions online for Sky Sports (h/t Alex Harris of the Daily Star): "Manchester United are looking for different targets, Antoine Griezmann being one, because Bale is going to stay at Real Madrid."

Cerezo was asked to give his take on Griezmann's potential exit, per Isaac Suarez of Spanish daily Marca, to which he replied: "Manchester United? Small team. I believe in the contracts that people sign, that goes for [Diego] Simeone and Griezmann."

Harris also placed Griezmann at the summit of United manager Jose Mourinho's list of transfer targets for the upcoming summer window. However, Cerezo told Spanish radio station Cadena COPE (h/t Goal's Ronan Murphy) how Griezmann is actually happy to remain in the Spanish capital: "Every time I see Antoine I give him a hug. Antoine is a fantastic player and loves life at Atletico."

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Cerezo was also more specific about United's keenness to bring free-scoring Griezmann to Old Trafford at the end of the season: "I don't know what Manchester United's interest is. But Griezmann will be at Atletico for a long time."

Murphy detailed how Griezmann is contracted with Atletico until 2021 on a deal containing a release clause worth €100 million (£85 million). Yet that gaudy figure is unlikely to deter the Red Devils from making a move, not when United paid a world-record fee to sign midfielder Paul Pogba from Juventus last summer.

It's also true the talk of Griezmann plying his trade in Manchester next season has been building recently. In fact, a report from French television station Canal+ (h/t the Guardian's Jamie Jackson) said United had even "agreed personal terms" with the prolific forward.

However, the reports were soon rebuffed, according to Simon Peach of the Press Association:

Such a denial may have cooled the rumours, but there's little doubt United could use a player who boasts the finishing quality of Griezmann. The Red Devils haven't always found goals easy to come by during Mourinho's first season in charge.

The Portuguese manager has seen his team draw nine matches in the Premier League, including three goalless stalemates. It's why James Ducker of the Daily Telegraph believes Griezmann's arrival is a must.

Ducker offered these numbers to sum up United's struggles in front of goal this season: "Only Spurs (404) have had more shots in the Premier League this season than United’s 390, an average of just under 17 per match, but only Hull and Southampton have a worse shot-conversion ratio than United’s 8.46 per cent. To put that into context, Liverpool have had an almost identical number of shots (388) but have a shot-conversion ratio of 13.4 per cent."

Those figures are the clearest evidence yet for why United are so keen on Griezmann. The mere mention of Bale's name alongside the Frenchman's further emphasises the exact type of attacker Mourinho covets.

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Specifically, he appears determined to land a forward who will add greater pace and more perceptive movement in the final third. In particular, Mourinho looks as though he wants a weapon capable of bringing his familiar counter-attacking style to life more often next season.

It's a mode of play Mourinho remains proud of, something he expressed after United saw off reigning league champions Leicester City in a 3-0 away win in the league at the weekend, per Sky Sports: "My team is playing very well but for many, many years in my career, especially in this country, when my teams were ruthless and when they were phenomenal defensively and very good in the counter-attack, I listened week after week. ... It was not enough, in spite of winning the title three times."

Griezmann would instantly make Mourinho's United a fearsome team on the break. It's how he's terrorised defences while at Atletico. Like Mourinho, Atleti manager Diego Simeone sets his sides up to be miserly in defence and cagey in midfield, a ploy designed to draw opposing teams in and expose them to sudden and devastating counters.

The Frenchman's presence has made it work, with the former Real Sociedad star further refining his already terrific off-the-ball running, as well as growing as a finisher. No forward at the top end of the game can match the 25-year-old's subtle and swift movement, while there aren't many who are as composed or as ruthless when presented with a chance.

Griezmann has fired his way to 15 goals across all competitions for Atletico, per WhoScored.com. He is finding his best form again and justifying the interest in him.

Griezmann wouldn't give United the physical presence Bale could offer. Yet in the absence of one of the world's four best attackers, Griezmann, a player with the potential to surpass Bale, would be a magnificent consolation prize for Mourinho's United rebuild.