Chelsea must get back into the Champions League if they are to have any hope of winning the race for Antoine Griezmann.

Standard Sport understands the Atletico Madrid striker is keen on a move to the Premier League either next summer or the year after that.

A number of England’s top clubs are interested including Arsenal, Manchester United and Manchester City.

The France international has been on Chelsea’s wish-list for two years, although they decided against signing him from Real Sociedad for £25million in 2014.

He has since scored 61 goals for Atletico and signed a new contract in June, which includes an £85m release clause.

Although that deal runs until 2021, it is understood the 25‑year‑old wants to join an English club before then.

Significantly, Griezmann has just changed his agent and is now represented by father Alain and the man who helped launch his career, Eric Olhats.

The Chelsea players out on loan 35 show all The Chelsea players out on loan 1/35 Tammy Abraham Bristol City Chris Brunskill/Getty Images 2/35 Mukhtar Ali Vitesse Arnhem Getty Images 3/35 Victorien Angban Granada ISSOUF SANOGO/AFP/Getty Images 4/35 Abdul Baba Rahman Schalke Srdjan Stevanovic/Getty Images 5/35 Lewis Baker Vitesse Arnhem GETTY 6/35 Nathan Baxter Solihull Moors Chris Brunskill/Getty Images 7/35 Jamal Blackman Wycombe Wanderers SAEED KHAN/AFP/Getty Images 8/35 Jeremie Boga Granada Getty 9/35 Izzy Brown Rotherham Ben Hoskins/Getty Images 10/35 Andreas Christensen Borussia Monchengladbach (second year of two year loan) Alexander Scheuber/Bongarts/Getty Images 11/35 Jake Clarke-Salter Bristol Rovers Matthew Lewis/Getty Images 12/35 Charlie Colkett Bristol Rovers Getty 13/35 Cristian Cuevas Sint-Truidense OZAN KOSE/AFP/Getty Images 14/35 Fankaty Dabo Swindon Getty Images 15/35 Jay Dasilva Charlton Athletic Getty Images 16/35 Matej Delac Royal Excel Mouscron Michael Steele/Getty Images 17/35 Islam Feruz Royal Mouscron PA 18/35 Michael Hector Eintracht Frankfurt Getty 19/35 Jordan Houghton Doncaster Rovers Dennis Grombkowski/Bongarts/Getty Images 20/35 Tomas Kalas Fulham Clive Brunskill/Getty Images 21/35 Alex Kiwomya Crewe Getty 22/35 Matt Miazga Vitesse Arnhem (OLI SCARFF/AFP/Getty Images) 23/35 Miro Muheim FC Zurich Getty Images 24/35 Nathan Vitesse Arnhem Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images 25/35 Kenneth Omeruo Alanyaspor Getty 26/35 Kasey Palmer Huddersfield Philipp Schmidli/Getty Images 27/35 Danilo Pantic Vitesse Arnhem 28/35 Mario Pasalic AC Milan @chelseafc 29/35 Lucas Piazon Fulham Getty 30/35 Loic Remy Crystal Palace (Matej Divizna/Getty Images) 31/35 Jhoao Rodriguez Independiente Sante Fe PASCAL POCHARD-CASABIANCA/AFP/Getty Images 32/35 Fikayo Tomori Brighton 33/35 Bertrand Traore Ajax Hannah Foslien/Getty Images 34/35 Marco van Ginkel PSV Eindhoven Getty Images 35/35 Wallace Gremio Ulet Ifansasti/Getty Images 1/35 Tammy Abraham Bristol City Chris Brunskill/Getty Images 2/35 Mukhtar Ali Vitesse Arnhem Getty Images 3/35 Victorien Angban Granada ISSOUF SANOGO/AFP/Getty Images 4/35 Abdul Baba Rahman Schalke Srdjan Stevanovic/Getty Images 5/35 Lewis Baker Vitesse Arnhem GETTY 6/35 Nathan Baxter Solihull Moors Chris Brunskill/Getty Images 7/35 Jamal Blackman Wycombe Wanderers SAEED KHAN/AFP/Getty Images 8/35 Jeremie Boga Granada Getty 9/35 Izzy Brown Rotherham Ben Hoskins/Getty Images 10/35 Andreas Christensen Borussia Monchengladbach (second year of two year loan) Alexander Scheuber/Bongarts/Getty Images 11/35 Jake Clarke-Salter Bristol Rovers Matthew Lewis/Getty Images 12/35 Charlie Colkett Bristol Rovers Getty 13/35 Cristian Cuevas Sint-Truidense OZAN KOSE/AFP/Getty Images 14/35 Fankaty Dabo Swindon Getty Images 15/35 Jay Dasilva Charlton Athletic Getty Images 16/35 Matej Delac Royal Excel Mouscron Michael Steele/Getty Images 17/35 Islam Feruz Royal Mouscron PA 18/35 Michael Hector Eintracht Frankfurt Getty 19/35 Jordan Houghton Doncaster Rovers Dennis Grombkowski/Bongarts/Getty Images 20/35 Tomas Kalas Fulham Clive Brunskill/Getty Images 21/35 Alex Kiwomya Crewe Getty 22/35 Matt Miazga Vitesse Arnhem (OLI SCARFF/AFP/Getty Images) 23/35 Miro Muheim FC Zurich Getty Images 24/35 Nathan Vitesse Arnhem Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images 25/35 Kenneth Omeruo Alanyaspor Getty 26/35 Kasey Palmer Huddersfield Philipp Schmidli/Getty Images 27/35 Danilo Pantic Vitesse Arnhem 28/35 Mario Pasalic AC Milan @chelseafc 29/35 Lucas Piazon Fulham Getty 30/35 Loic Remy Crystal Palace (Matej Divizna/Getty Images) 31/35 Jhoao Rodriguez Independiente Sante Fe PASCAL POCHARD-CASABIANCA/AFP/Getty Images 32/35 Fikayo Tomori Brighton 33/35 Bertrand Traore Ajax Hannah Foslien/Getty Images 34/35 Marco van Ginkel PSV Eindhoven Getty Images 35/35 Wallace Gremio Ulet Ifansasti/Getty Images

Influential Atletico coach Diego Simeone, who has also had a big impact on his game, looks set to leave the club in 2018 after agreeing to have his contract reduced by two years.

Chelsea are prepared to meet Griezmann’s release clause but they will struggle to convince the Frenchman to join should they fail to finish in the top four.

The forward wants to keep playing in Europe’s premier club competition, having been in the Atletico side that lost the final to Real Madrid on penalties in May.

Chelsea failed to qualify for the competition for the first time in the Roman Abramovich era after finishing 10th last term.

Coach Antonio Conte is under pressure to guide the club back into next season’s tournament and the 2-1 defeat to Liverpool on Friday exposed weaknesses at both ends of the pitch.

Diego Costa scored Chelsea’s goal and the club could use him to reduce the fee for Griezmann. Atletico are desperate to re-sign the Spain striker and failed in several attempts to convince Chelsea to sell during the close season.

Meanwhile, Conte is expected to make a number of changes for their match at Leicester tomorrow night in the third round of the EFL Cup.

Marcos Alonso will make his debut after joining from Fiorentina for £23m last month and Michy Batshuayi, who scored twice against Bristol Rovers in the last round, is expected to replace Costa up front.

