Chelsea are eyeing up a late swoop for Saul Niguez of Atletico Madrid, though the deal hinges on the departures of fringe midfielders.
According to the latest column in Telegraph, Chelsea have once again set their sights on Saul Niguez. Thomas Tuchel is apparently keen on bringing in a new face in the midfield department following the loan departure of Billy Gilmour, with the Atletico Madrid star emerging as an ideal option.
Saul is available on loan this summer, but Chelsea’s pursuit of him may hinge on the future of some of the club’s unwanted midfielders. The Blues are increasingly keen on offloading Tiemoue Bakayoko, Ross Barkley and Danny Drinkwater while the future of Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Ethan Ampadu also remain unresolved.
It might be a difficult task for Chelsea to find many suitors for the three unwanted players given the current financial climate of European football.
Tuchel, though, is hopeful that he can sanction their departures in order to get his hands on Saul, who had been linked with a move to Stamford Bridge for the entirety of the ongoing summer transfer window.
Formerly of Elche, the Spaniard has recently fallen out of favour at Atletico due to Marcos Llorente’s rapid rise to prominence. Although he continues to play a vital role in Diego Simeone’s first-team plans, his progress has remained stagnant in recent years. As such, the club is open to listening to offers for him in the wake of the pandemic that has left them in a difficult financial situation.
While funding move for top targets have not historically been a problem for Chelsea since the takeover from Roman Abramovich, they are facing certain difficulties this summer. For one, the Blues have already brought back Romelu Lukaku from Inter Milan for a fortune, without selling their other star forward in Timo Werner.
In addition, the club is pursuing other targets, including Jules Kounde. The Sevilla centre-back is an absolute priority, as far as the defensive department is concerned, even though they are simultaneously working on a deal to extend the contracts of Andreas Christensen and Antonio Rudiger.
With just a week left before the market slams to a shut, though, Chelsea must move swiftly if they are to get their hands on these two top targets this summer. Finding suitors for their fringe players like Drinkwater and Bakayoko could prove to be absolutely essential.
