Chelsea transfer news: Griezmann tells friends he wants Premier League move

Posted Tuesday, February 09, 2016 by squawka.com

Atletico Madrid’s Antoine Griezmann has reportedly told friends he is keen on a move to England, amid strong interest from Chelsea.

The 24-year old has been in magnificent form this season in La Liga; he is Atletico’s top scorer with 12 goals as the club sit second in the league, ahead of Real Madrid.

His impressive displays in Spain have led to Chelsea to earmark him as summer transfer target, according to the Daily Mail, with the source claiming that the No.7 has told friends that he would like to play in the Premier League.

A report from the Mail last month suggested that Eden Hazard may leave Chelsea at the end of this season, with Real Madrid keen on his signature.

Griezmann could arguably be an ideal replacement, or even an improvement, as Hazard has not scored a single Premier League or Champions League goal in 2015/16.

Greizmann started his career at Real Sociedad in 2009 and was almost ever-present in their starting XI for the next five seasons, racking up 52 goals in 201 appearances before being snapped by Diego Simeone at the beginning of last season.

The France international really stepped up a gear on making the big move to Madrid, netting 25 goals in all competitions in his debut campaign, and has continued to improve to show some exceptional form this term.

Whether or not Chelsea will be able to attract a player of such high calibre without offering them Champions League football next season remains to be seen.

Griezmann has an impressive 83% shot accuracy in Europe’s elite competition in 2015/16, which is the best record of any Atletico player.