Atletico Madrid have given Saul Niguez permission to leave the La Liga champions this summer amid interest from Manchester United, Man City and Liverpool, according to AS.
The Wanda Metropolitano outfit are working their way out of a financial crisis after losing around €80m (£68.5m) due to the pandemic. But Diego Simeone’s side are keen to invest and prolong their spell as title contenders, so intend to offload players.
Sports Director Andrea Berta views Saul, plus Vitolo and Santiago Arias, as the key players to increase their transfer budget. Atletico have informed Saul that they would welcome his exit, providing his departure returns a significant sum.
Saul has a €150m (£128m) release clause in his contract that runs to 2026. But Atletico will accept €40m (£34m) in the current market after he lost his place in Simeone’s plans. The 26-year-old only started 22 of his 33 La Liga outings last term, returning two goals and an assist.
Manchester United, Man City and Liverpool are ‘very attentive’ to Atletico’s plans for Saul. The Times also claimed earlier this month that Atletico had offered Man City the chance to sign Saul in exchange for Bernardo Silva, but noted the La Liga side wanted €70m (£60m).
Saul played his least minutes in a La Liga campaign since 2014/15 last season and registered his worst goal involvement since 2013/14. He also offered two goals and an assist that term but enjoyed his best haul for goals in 2019/20 with six and 2017/18 for assists with four.
The imminent arrival of Rodrigo de Paul in Madrid may also hinder the Spaniard’s chances of featuring regularly next season. The Argentine will join from Udinese for €35m (£30m) after his Copa America involvement with the deal effectively sewn up.
What can Saul offer Man City or Liverpool?
While Saul is not a creative midfielder who would necessarily replace Silva at Man City, he would offer Pep Guardiola, Liverpool or Manchester United a combative presence in the engine room.
Saul likes to get about the middle of the park and leave an imprint on proceedings by winning the ball. He is also strong in the air and can prove versatile with minutes at left-back in recent seasons.
That is an aspect Guardiola has brought out of players since joining Man City, with Fabian Delph a comparable player. The Englishman was an out-and-out central midfielder under previous managers but featured regularly at full-back before joining Everton in 2019.
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