Chelsea have moved up in the list of suitors for Antoine Griezmann, with Jose Mourinho looking to beat out competition from fellow English Premier League side Liverpool for the speedy French winger.
Griezmann has been heavily linked with a move to Arsenal over the past couple of seasons, with Arsene Wenger also admitting his admiration for the player. However, after the North London club's signing of Alexis Sanchez, the France international is not thought to be a priority anymore.
That left Liverpool to try and swoop in for Griezmann's signature, after the 23-year-old impressed with Real Sociedad in La Liga last season as well as with France at the World Cup. Brendan Rodgers is a big fan of young, exciting players with plenty of pace to burn and Griezmann would fit right in with Liverpool's style of play.
However, according to the Metro, Chelsea have now shown an interest to sign the highly-rated attacker, with Mourinho ready to stump up the reported £20 million fee required to entice Sociedad to even consider selling.
Bookmakers have also installed Chelsea as the favourites for Griezmann's signature, further pointing towards a possible Stamford Bridge move for the Frenchman.
Atletico Madrid and Monaco have also been linked with a move for Griezmann, and the Sociedad forward could fancy a stay in La Liga courtesy a switch with the defending champions or indeed moving back to his homeland with Monaco, who, unlike Sociedad, can offer him Champions League football.
Mourinho has been pretty busy in the summer transfer market, having made marquee signings in the mould of Cesc Fabregas from Barcelona and Diego Costa from Atletico Madrid, while Filipe Luis is also on the verge of making his move to West London official after the Blues agreed a fee with the Spanish champions.
Griezmann is a player who can operate across the forward lines, both on the wings and also behind the striker, with his pace being his best asset. The youngster has good finishing abilities as well and it will be interesting to see just where Mourinho fits in Griezmann if he does join Chelsea.
The Blues have plenty of attacking options, and with those big-money additions of Fabregas and Costa will only get better. Griezmann has shown enough quality to ensure that he will bring another dimension to any squad, and it remains to be seen which club the Frenchman chooses if he decided to move on from Sociedad.
