Antoine Griezmann is coming to Major League Soccer.
The Atlético Madrid star and French World Cup winner was authorized by Atlético to fly to Orlando during his two scheduled days off to complete a deal to join Orlando City this summer, multiple sources briefed on the deal tell The Athletic. Griezmann will be signed through 2027-28 – the first full season of MLS operating on a calendar more aligned with the top European leagues – with an option for 2028-29, and he’s due to inherit the No. 7 shirt, a source adds.
The move ends a weeks-long negotiation in which Orlando initially hoped to woo Griezmann to the U.S. ahead of the close of MLS’s primary transfer window this month, only for the Atlético legend ultimately opting to stay with his club as it chases Copa del Rey and Champions League crowns.
Griezmann, the all-time leading scorer in Atléti history with more than 200 goals, has not won a Copa del Rey with the Spanish club, but has won a Europa League, Supercopa and UEFA Super Cup and was a Champions League runner-up in 2015-16.
The French forward has voiced, in the past, a desire to play one day in MLS. He has an affinity for American sports and culture and has vacationed often in the U.S. and is spotted at NBA games.
Marca first reported that Griezmann was traveling.
He would be the central part of what looks like a rebuild in Orlando City, which parted ways with longtime coach Óscar Pareja after just three games this season and currently sits in 13th place in the Eastern Conference, with just one win in five games.
The Central Florida club has signed top global footballers throughout its history. It joined MLS as an expansion team in 2015 with Ballon d’Or winner Kaká as its captain, and the Brazilian World Cup winner played three seasons in MLS. Former Portugal and Manchester United winger Nani then spent three seasons in Orlando from 2019-21.
The forward would join Lionel Messi, Son Heung-min, Thomas Müller, James Rodríguez and his former France teammate Hugo Lloris among the highest-profile players in MLS.
The 34-year-old forward has six goals and one assist in La Liga play this season — he had eight goals and seven assists last year — for an Atlético team that sits fourth in the table. Griezmann has five goals in the Copa del Rey this year. Atlético will face Real Sociedad in the final on April 18.
Griezmann also has two goals and three assists in Champions League play. Atléti faces Spanish rivals Barcelona in the quarterfinal round on April 8 and April 14.
Once sold in a €120 million deal to Barcelona, Griezmann has scored 44 goals for France, was twice a third-place Ballon d’Or finisher, won a Europa League, was a Champions League runner-up and was part of France’s 2018 World Cup winning squad and 2022 World Cup runners-up.
He retired from international play in 2024.
Griezmann should immediately become one of the most dangerous strikers in MLS. Orlando spent this offseason 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.
With a younger squad, the Lions have struggled to find their way early in the season, however, and are coming off of a 5-0 loss to Nashville SC this weekend.
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 also won the U.S. Open Cup in 2002, the club’s first trophy as a first-division team.
