Griezmann to stay, confirms Atletico CEO
Madrid: Atletico Madrid CEO Miguel Angel Gil Marin said their star forward Antoine Griezmann will stay with the club and it is impossible for the Frenchman to leave the side before summer.
The 26-year-old, who extended his contract with the Spanish club, has been linked with a move to English football giants Manchester United since the previous season.
"It is impossible that he will leave this team before the summer," Gil Marin was quoted as saying by Sky Sports on Thursday.
"Last summer we made a great effort well beyond the club's possibilities and we will do it once again next summer.
"We have struggled to join together these two players (Griezmann and Diego Costa) and I think it will be very good for the two to compete together. It will be very good for Atletico and it will be good for the coaches. Until July 1, his (buyout) clause is €200m ($239 m)," he added.
Gil Marin also said the club has no intentions to sell Griezmann at any point of time as he is one of their marquee players.
"Atletico do not want to sell him, not now, nor in the summer. For us he is a very important player, who has grown a lot with us and we have grown with him. Our intention is to continue growing together. I would love him to continue," Gil Marin concluded.
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Brazil's Ancelotti raises doubts about whether Neymar will reach the 2026 World Cup
Sao Paulo (AP): Brazil coach Carlo Ancelotti raised doubts about whether Neymar will be in his squad for the 2026 World Cup. The Italian has yet to pick the former captain since he took over in May.
“If Neymar deserves to be (in the squad), if he is, well, better than others, he will play in the World Cup and that's it. (But) I don't have debts to anyone,” Ancelotti said at a press conference in Washington on Friday following the draw.
Brazil is in Group C with Morocco, Haiti and Scotland.
“If we speak about Neymar, we have to speak about other players,” Ancelotti added. “We have to think about Brazil with or without Neymar, with or without other players. Our final list we will make after the FIFA fixtures in March.”
The 33-year-old Neymar has never fully recovered from a torn ACL in October 2023 during a World Cup qualifier against Uruguay. But he's been key for Santos in its fight to avoid relegation in the Brazilian championship.
On Wednesday, he scored a hat trick for Santos despite a muscular injury. He is expected to play again on Sunday against Cruzeiro.
Ancelotti said Brazil does not have a “referential player” at the moment, a tag for the most valuable player that Neymar has mainly worn since the 2014 home World Cup.
“We have one of the world's best goalkeepers, some of the best defenders, top midfielders and some players up front. I don't want players who want to be the best in the world, I want players who want to win the World Cup,” Ancelotti said.
Asked about his team's group, Ancelotti said Brazil can top it.
“We can win all three matches, our idea is very clear. We need to be competitive during the entire World Cup. Our goal is to play in the final and for that to happen you need to face very strong teams anyway.”
Brazil won the last of its five World Cup trophies in 2002.
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