Barcelona news: Chelsea fears £100m deadly striker has agreed to join Barcelona January and will go against Chelsea at draw

Chelsea fear Barcelona have all but tied up a deal for Atletico Madrid striker Antoine Griezmann for next summer and are already exploring other options.

Griezmann, 26, came close to moving to Old Trafford last summer but Atletico’s transfer ban was upheld – meaning they couldn’t sign a replacement – and he felt indebted to stay.

The Frenchman had rated his chances of joining United as a ‘six out of ten’ but Jose Mourinho signed Romelu Lukaku instead and the Red Devils have since cooled their interest.

That has handed the advantage to Barcelona, who have established an understanding with Griezmann that he will move to the Nou Camp next season, according to the Independent.

Senior sources at Atletico are said to expect to see Griezmann join the Catalans, while members of Diego Simeone’s squad view the move as a formality.

That will come as a blow to United, who have touched base with Atletico recently over Greizmann’s availiability.