The Daily Rojiblanco: November 16, 2017

Editor’s note: This is the final Daily Rojiblanco until further notice, as Stu has taken a leave of absence from the site. We hope to bring back our daily roundups at some point in the near future.

• Özil to Atleti?

Not too much new today, but there are a few rumors that are picking up steam.

Over the weekend there were reports that Arsenal star Mesut Özil is interested in a move to Atlético Madrid if they can qualify for next season’s Champions League. If rumors are to be believed, Atlético are also interested in the move and are prepared to pay him well to make it happen.

At present, Özil’s contract with Arsenal is set to expire this summer so the club would be in a position to bring him in on a free transfer. If so, there could be some good value there. However, as is often the case with these things, concrete details and sources are scarce, so we’ll just have to wait and see with this one.

• Saúl to Manchester United?

Sticking with the Premier League, recent transfer speculation suggests that Saúl Ñíguez could be primed for a transfer to Manchester United. It seems that José Mourinho’s Untied have been linked with just about all of our promising young players at this point, and there has been plenty of speculation about some of their players coming our way.

Unless the clubs decide to trade squads this summer, it is likely that United would need to shell out the full €150 million to activate Saúl’s buyout clause, as the midfielder recently signed a lengthy extension with Atlético.

In short: not happening.

• Griezmann to Barça?

AS, citing French sources, say that a deal is in the works between Antoine Griezmann and Barcelona. The French striker has been the target of intense transfer speculation since last summer (and before, really), and this report suggests that talks are underway between Griezmann and Barça. However, the Catalan club may balk at the steep buyout clause for the player.

This is a hard one to call since Griezmann has been a very important piece for Atlético over the past few seasons—excepting his current slump in form. You have to imagine that they would like to see him depart for a club outside of LaLiga, but €100 million is €100 million no matter where it comes from.

• Ligue 1 side Lille will reportedly try to sign Kévin Gameiro this winter. (in French)