Manchester United 'to pay £85m for Antoine Griezmann'

Manchester United have reportedly accepted that they will have to pay £85m to bring Atletico Madrid attacker Antoine Griezmann to Old Trafford at the end of the season.

Atletico are said to be desperate to keep hold of the 26-year-old, but head coach Diego Simeone recently admitted that the club would be powerless to prevent the France international leaving if his release clause was activated.

Earlier this week, it was claimed that Man United were 'closing in on a deal' for the former Real Sociedad attacker, who has been strongly linked with a move to Manchester over the last few months.

According to The Telegraph, the Red Devils plan to trigger Griezmann's buy-out clause of £85m when the summer transfer window opens for business as head coach Jose Mourinho looks to build a title-winning team.

Griezmann has netted 22 times in 40 appearances for Atletico this season, and 79 goals in 147 matches in total since joining the Madrid giants from Real Sociedad in the summer of 2014.