French Atletico Madrid striker Antoine Griezmann is close to joining American club Orlando City during the summer transfer window, according to two sources close to the negotiations. A first source reported that Griezmann has been given permission by Atletico to travel to Florida during the international break to finalize the deal, confirming information reported by several media outlets. A second source close to the player confirmed that the Frenchman "is authorized by the club to go to Orlando during his time off to move forward with discussions about his future." The 2018 world champion has been in talks with the American club for weeks, which holds his "discovery rights"—a system in the American league that grants a specific club priority in signing a player. Atletico Madrid had shut the door on its French player's departure at the start of this month, while the American transfer window remained open until March 26. Griezmann, who celebrated his 35th birthday on Saturday and is Atletico's all-time top scorer (211 goals), is finally set to join the American league this summer, though his name has been linked to a move there for years. Not hiding his interest in the United States and its professional sports, particularly the NBA, Griezmann, who has 137 international caps and 44 goals, has long been interested in the move. Despite no longer being an untouchable starter for Atletico, Griezmann has scored 13 goals this season. He extended his contract with the Madrid club until June 2027 last year. Griezmann has a chance to compete for several titles this season with "rojiblancos", as he faces his former club, Real Sociedad, in the Copa del Rey final on April 18, following a Champions League quarter-final against Barcelona, the club he also played for, on April 8 and 15.
