Griezmann is approaching Orlando City

French striker Antoine Griezmann, a Spanish player for Atletico Madrid, is close to joining Orlando City during the summer transfer period, according to what a source close to the negotiations told AFP.

Griezmann obtained permission from Atletico Madrid to travel to Florida during the international break, in order to finalize the agreement in preparation for his transfer this summer, according to the same source, confirming information reported by several media outlets.

The 2018 world champion has been in talks for weeks with the American club, which owns the player’s “discovery rights,” a system in place in the American League that gives contract priority to a specific club.

At the beginning of this month, Atletico Madrid closed the door to the departure of its French player during the season, in light of the American transfer period open until March 26.

Griezmann, who celebrated his 35th birthday on Saturday and is Atletico's all-time top scorer (211 goals), is preparing to finally join the American League this summer, after his name has been linked to a move there for years.

The owner of 137 international matches and 44 goals does not hide his interest in the United States and its professional sports, most notably the American Professional Basketball League (NBA).

Although he is no longer an untouchable starter in the Atletico squad, Griezmann has scored 13 goals this season, and he extended his contract with the Madrid club last year until June 2027.

Griezmann has the opportunity to compete for several titles this season with “Rojiblancos”, as he will compete in the King’s Cup final on April 18 against Real Sociedad, his first team, after facing the Champions League quarter-finals against Barcelona, the club he also played for, on April 8 and 15.