Orlando City is in advanced discussions over a move for Atletico Madrid forward Antoine Griezmann for their open designated player spot.
Multiple sources briefed on the deal have indicated to The Athletic that the 34-year-old is the club’s focus. However, there are no agreements in place yet for the France international and that Orlando City is also engaged with other targets.
Orlando City sporting director and general manager Ricardo Moreira has been to Spain multiple times to work on the deal.
Griezmann has long been linked with a move to MLS. The World Cup-winner has an affinity for American sports and culture, frequently vacationing in the U.S. and is spotted at NBA games. Sources said he was, at one point, a target for Inter Miami, which currently has three designated players and could not sign Griezmann.
Sources said Orlando is one of four MLS clubs to have expressed interest in signing Griezmann, but Orlando has the MLS discovery rights, which gives them first claim at signing the player.
Griezmann would not be the first high profile footballer to land in Orlando. The central-Florida club entered MLS with one of football’s biggest names: Ballon d’Or winner Kaka, who played with the Lions from 2015 to 2017, while former Portugal winger Nani spent three seasons with Orlando City from 2019 to 2021.
Orlando City is hopeful that they can convince Griezmann to sign during MLS’s primary window, which runs through March 26.
Griezmann moving in the middle of the European season would represent a significant coup for Orlando City. The Atletico legend may, however, be pulled to stay with the club still very much in with a chance of winning this season’s Copa del Rey. Multiple sources said Griezmann will not leave the Spanish club before the summer window.
Talks have not yet happened between Atletico and Orlando about a transfer, sources said.
The forward would join Messi, Son Heung-min, Thomas Muller and his former France team-mate Hugo Lloris as one of the highest-profile players in MLS.
Once sold in a €120million deal to Barcelona, Griezmann has scored 44 goals for France, was twice a third-place Ballon d’Or finisher, won a Europa League and was a Champions League runner-up.
The 34-year-old forward has six goals in La Liga this season — after scoring eight goals and registering seven assists last season — for Atletico, who are fourth in the table.
The club are in the semi-final stage of the Copa del Rey, defeating Barcelona 4-0 in the first leg of their semi-final earlier this month. The return game is in Barcelona on March 3 and the final is April 18.
Griezmann has scored five goals in the Copa del Rey so far this term, adding another goal and two assists in the Champions League.
The all-time leading scorer for Atletico with more than 200 goals, Griezmann would immediately become one of the most dangerous forwards in MLS.
Griezmann started his career at Real Sociedad, where he scored 52 goals across five seasons before joining Atletico in 2014.
After 133 goals across five seasons, scoring a minimum of 20 goals per campaign, he spent two seasons at Barca before returning to Diego Simeone’s side in 2021, initially on loan.
Griezmann has never won a major league title with either club, but won the Europa League, Supercopa de Espana and European Super Cup with Atleti, alongside a Copa del Rey crown with Barca.
Orlando spent this off-season building up a squad around youth players, signing three Brazilian prospects to under-22 initiative contracts — an MLS roster-mechanism that encourages teams to sign young players.
Orlando lost its season opener, 2-1, to the New York Red Bulls.
Orlando City is owned by the Wilf family, primarily brothers Mark and Zygi Wilf, who also own the NFL’s Minnesota Vikings. The Wilfs bought the team in 2021.
The Lions finished ninth in the Eastern Conference last year after finishing second and fourth in 2023 and 2024, respectively. Orlando, which joined MLS as an expansion team in 2015, also won the U.S. Open Cup in 2002, the club’s first trophy as a first-division team.