Antoine Griezmann flying to Orlando to complete summer MLS transfer: Sources

Orlando City is on the verge of landing one of world football’s most decorated attackers. Multiple sources briefed on the negotiations confirmed to The Athletic that Atlético Madrid and France World Cup winner Antoine Griezmann has been granted permission by the Spanish club to travel to Orlando during his two scheduled days off to finalize a move to Major League Soccer this summer.

The 34-year-old striker, Atlético’s all-time leading scorer with more than 200 goals, will sign a contract through the 2027-28 campaign—the first season MLS will align its calendar more closely with Europe’s major leagues—holding an option for 2028-29. Sources add that Griezmann is expected to inherit Orlando City’s No. 7 shirt once the deal is formally announced.

Talks between Orlando and Griezmann’s camp stretched for weeks, with the Lions initially hoping to secure the forward before the league’s primary transfer window closed. Griezmann elected to remain in Madrid to pursue Copa del Rey and Champions League glory, but maintained his longstanding interest in experiencing American soccer. He has frequently vacationed in the United States, attended NBA games, and publicly expressed a desire to play in MLS at some stage of his career.

Griezmann’s arrival would mark the highest-profile acquisition in Orlando City history and the centerpiece of a roster overhaul that accelerated after the club parted ways with longtime coach Óscar Pareja following a 1-4-0 start that left the Lions 13th in the Eastern Conference. Orlando spent the offseason investing in young talent, signing three Brazilian prospects to Under-22 initiative contracts, but results have lagged; the Lions were thumped 5-0 by Nashville SC this past weekend.

The Central Florida side has never shied away from marquee names. Since joining MLS as an expansion club in 2015, Orlando has featured Ballon d’Or winner Kaká and former Manchester United winger Nani. Griezmann would join Lionel Messi, Son Heung-min, Thomas Müller, James Rodríguez and French teammate Hugo Lloris among the league’s headline stars.

Across all competitions this season, Griezmann has supplied 13 goals and four assists: six goals in La Liga, five in the Copa del Rey and two in the Champions League. Atlético, currently fourth in Spain’s top flight, will meet Real Sociedad in the Copa del Rey final on April 18 and face Barcelona in the Champions League quarterfinals on April 8 and 14.

At international level, Griezmann has earned 44 goals for France, finished third in the Ballon d’Or voting twice, and lifted the 2018 World Cup while finishing runner-up in 2022. His club honors include a Europa League, UEFA Super Cup and Spanish Supercopa, though a Copa del Rey medal has eluded him.

Orlando City is controlled by the Wilf family—Mark and Zygi Wilf, owners of the NFL’s Minnesota Vikings—who purchased the club in 2021. After finishing second in the East in 2023 and fourth in 2024, the Lions slipped to ninth last season, heightening the urgency for a statement signing capable of re-energizing the squad and fan base.

Should the deal cross the finish line, Griezmann would immediately become one of MLS’s most lethal finishers and the face of Orlando’s ambitious reboot.