Barcelona have reportedly been handed a boost in pursuit of key target Saul Niguez, with Atletico Madrid open to a summer sale.
According to a report by Spanish outlet El Gol Digital, Atletico Madrid are willing to sell Saul Niguez to Barcelona in the summer transfer window. The Spanish international is a key target in midfield for the Blaugrana ahead of the 2021/22 season.
Saul Niguez has established himself as one of the best midfielders in Spain since enjoying a breakthrough campaign with Atletico Madrid in 2014/15. Over the past half-a-decade or so, the 26-year-old had been a mainstay in midfield for Los Rojiblancos, but all that has changed this term, with the player managing to start just 27 games till date.
Having been assigned a rotation role in the Atletico Madrid midfield, the speculation around Saul’s future has been growing like wildfire lately, with the player being linked with some of the biggest clubs across Europe. One such suitor are Barcelona, who are keen on bolstering their midfield this summer.
At Camp Nou, Miralem Pjanic has failed to make an impact since arriving from Juventus last year, and his future at the Catalan club is uncertain. With Sergio Busquets in the twilight of his career, it is imperative that Barcelona start laying down a succession plan for him, which could be done in one of two ways.
Barcelona could either deploy Frenkie de Jong at the base of the midfield for years to come, in which case they would need a box-to-box midfielder like Saul or Georginio Wijnaldum, another who has been linked quite heavily; or, the Blaugrana could seek a direct replacement for Busquets, which has seen them get linked with the likes of Eduardo Camavinga, Manuel Locatelli and Mikel Merino.
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Saul, though, is surely a viable target who could be available for an acceptable sum, considering Atletico Madrid are open to selling him to Barcelona. With the Blaugrana now being given a shot in the arm in pursuit of the Spanish international, a move could well see the light of the day.
However, any potential transfer fee has not been mentioned, and it will be interesting to see how much Atletico Madrid demand from the Catalans in exchange of the 26-year-old. For now, it looks like a move for Saul to Barcelona could be on the horizon.
