Report: Griezmann to LAFC won't happen until 2026 (if ever) | OneFootball

It appears Antoine Griezmann is staying in Spain for now.

Earlier Thursday, Eduardo Burgos of Diario AS posted on X/Twitter that the Frenchman will complete his contract at Atletico Madrid, which runs through the conclusion of the 2025-26 season, with the aim of moving to LAFC and MLS afterward.

It's unclear whether remaining on France's roster for the 2026 FIFA World Cup would be part of Griezmann's thinking -- he last appeared for Les Bleus in the UEFA Nations League last September. But either way, it could extend a long-running saga of whether the Black-and-Gold would finally get a star they've been connected with since at least last year's secondary transfer window.

Or it might send LAFC in a different direction altogether.

Pogba in play?

There's no denying that even with the addition of Cengiz Under, the Black-and-Gold could use some additional attacking heft sooner than later. Manager Steve Cherundolo's squad have scored only six times in five MLS matches, with two of those coming last weekend against a dismal Sporting Kansas City outfit. Olivier Giroud's struggles have been halted only by an injury absence, and Jeremy Ebobisse looks to be a serviceable MLS forward but not much more.

There are other options out there this summer. Perhaps even other French internationals, such as Paul Pogba. There haven't been any serious reports connecting Pogba to LAFC or MLS. But Pogba did visit Giroud at an LAFC match recently, and if he were open to an MLS move LAFC would be a sensible destination both from a need and roster construction standpoint.

And if that happened, there wouldn't likely be room for Griezmann with LAFC's allotment of Designated Player contracts.

That said, there have similar long-running sagas before where, eventually, the European star did finally find his way to North America. Lionel Messi is the most obvious, with rumors of his eventual descent on Miami beginning several years before they finally materialized.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic was also connected to MLS for an extended period before landing at the LA Galaxy.