Saul Niguez insists Atletico Madrid can cope without Antoine Griezmann as Manchester United target three signings

Atletico Madrid midfielder Saul Niguez has insisted that the club can cope without Antoine Griezmann if he moves to Manchester United as Jose Mourinho steps up his pursuit of three high-profile signings.

Griezmann said there was a “six out of 10” chance that he would be joining United this summer prior to their Europa League win and subsequent qualification for the Champions League, which the club had believed strengthened their bargaining position.

The Frenchman is currently on holiday but tweeted last week that the rumours regarding his future were “unfounded” which is understood to have frustrated United officials, who are desperate to avoid another drawn-out transfer saga like the one that followed Paul Pogba around last summer.

Griezmann has an £86.7m release clause which United are willing to pay and the club were hoping the deal would be completed by early June, but the onus is very much on the player to decide whether he wants to call time on his Atleti career.

And if he does deicide to join the club he supported as a boy then Saul has no concerns that Atletico will struggle without him.

“In the end, Antoine Griezmann can manage his future as he wishes,” Saul told the Spanish press. “He is with us. We are waiting for him in pre-season and finally his future he will decide.

“If Antoine Griezmann leaves we have [Fernando] Torres, [Kevin] Gameiro, [Angel] Correa and [Yannick] Carrasco.

“He is a very important player for us, we know the quality he has, but most importantly no one player is above the club.”

Aside from Griezmann, the club has also so far been left frustrated in the pursuit of other targets, most notably Ivan Perisic, with Internazionale wanting £15m more for the winger than United are willing to pay.

The Old Trafford club will go as high as £35m for the 28-year-old, who does want to join the club, but cash-rich Inter have set the asking price at £50m as they want to keep the Croatian and do not need the money.

The signing of Burnley’s Michael Keane is seen as much likelier, with the former United centre-half having said to friends that it is his probable destination.

Mourinho also wants a midfielder to complement and help release Pogba. There is long-term interest in Paris St-Germain’s Blaise Matuidi as well as Monaco’s Tiemoue Bakayoko, but Chelsea are expected to complete the signing of the latter.