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Atletico Madrid Star Antoine Griezmann Speaks Out on MLS Transfer Talks
After months of speculation regarding Antoine Griezmann’s potential move to Orlando City, the Atlético Madrid striker has spoken up.
“I’m really good here, enjoying myself a lot,” Griezmann said on Movistar TV after Atleti’s 5–2 win over Tottenham Hotspur in Champions League play Tuesday. “What I do on the pitch speaks for me by itself. We’ll see, but the idea is to stay until the end, and then others can speak.”
The French star, who is under contract with the Atlético until June 2027, added that he plans to compete for Los Rojiblancos in Spain’s Copa del Rey final on April 18: “That’s my dream and my objective, to hopefully achieve something big.”
MLS’s primary transfer window, which opened in late January, closes on March 26, meaning Griezmann is likely to stay with the La Liga side through the summer.
What Does Griezmann’s Decision Mean for Orlando City?
Although four MLS clubs were interested in Griezmann, Orlando City hold Discovery Rights to him—a method used by MLS to give one team priority when negotiating a non-league player’s transfer—which the Lions earned by being the first to submit Griezmann to their Discovery List.
The Lions will have to pause their pursuit of Griezmann until the summer transfer window opens on July 13.
Orlando City could really use the 2018 World Cup winner’s star power right now, sitting bottom of the league without any points in their first three matches of the new season. The team notably fumbled a 2–0 lead against the MLS reigning champions, Inter Miami, on March 1, losing the Florida rivalry game 4–2 after a brace from Lionel Messi.
Epic edition of the Florida Classic 🔥
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) March 2, 2026
Halftime: @OrlandoCitySC led, 2-0
Fulltime: @InterMiamiCF won, 4-2 pic.twitter.com/DBH90AM7YQ
Griezmann has notched 13 goals and four assists across 40 appearances in all competitions this season, despite predominately coming off the bench in La Liga. He is the team’s all-time leading goalscorer with 210 in 484 total appearances across 10 seasons.
“I’m very happy with how Antoine is applying himself,” Atlético manager Diego Simeone said. “He knows how important he is for Atletico Madrid’s history. I hope he can finish up as he deserves, in the best way possible, and that we can help him by finishing this season in an extraordinary way.”
Griezmann Is a Trend Follower
34-year-old Griezmann is just the latest European veteran to consider joining the MLS bandwagon.
The renewed trend to MLS—repopularized by Messi’s leap from PSG to Inter Miami in 2023—has been followed by the likes of Barcelona midfielder Sergio Busquets, Bayern Munich legend Thomas Müller, Tottenham Hotspur striker Son Heung-min, among others.
