Manchester United Transfer News: Antoine Griezmann Tipped for Old Trafford Move

Antoine Griezmann will "definitely" join Manchester United this summer, according to former Arsenal midfielder Emmanuel Petit. The Frenchman is convinced Atletico Madrid forward Griezmann will move to Old Trafford and flourish in a team featuring France international team-mate Paul Pogba.

Petit told Sky Sports (h/t MailOnline's Ben Grounds): "I think he will come to Manchester United—definitely. He has a great partnership with Pogba in the national team, they are very good friends as well. He will bring goals, assists and his winning mentality."

Griezmann has long been linked with the Red Devils, a prospective deal that may cost the Manchester club as much as £86 million, according to James Ducker of The Daily Telegraph.

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However, Petit believes even a fee that size would represent a sweet deal for United, should the club manage to bring Griezmann to the Premier League next season, per Grounds: "Every single year he has improved his level all the time so he has got big ambition personally but as well with the team he is playing for. For me it would be a big bargain for Manchester United."

Petit is right to cite the strides Griezmann has made in his career. Since his time at Real Sociedad, the French attacker has displayed a keen instinct for menacing runs off the ball that exploit defensive gaps.

Those runs always put Griezmann into threatening, scoring positions. Since moving to Atletico in 2014, the 25-year-old has added some nuance to his game. He can now play with his back to goal, but he still retains the pace to spin in behind defences.

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Griezmann doesn't operate on the left flank as often but instead does most of his damage through the middle. The improvements have led to 17 goals in all competitions this season, per WhoScored.com.

Griezmann's ability to strike on the break is why United are so keen on the gifted forward. It's also why Petit isn't the only former player endorsing the idea of Griezmann joining the Red Devils.

Ex-United skipper Roy Keane has urged his old club to make the deal happen, while appearing on ITV (h/t Samuel Luckhurst of the Manchester Evening News): "He's obviously been linked with United, what a player he'd be for United."

However, Griezmann appeared to cool talk of a switch to United when speaking on Spanish television following Atleti's 4-2 win over Bayer Leverkusen in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday (h/t Alex Richards of the Daily Mirror): "I'm proud to become part of Atletico's history with my goal and hopefully I can carry on making history here."

Griezmann scored in Germany, as part of another typically lively and astute performance in the final third. It was the type of performance United are being increasingly favoured to see more of from next season.