Saul Niguez : Manchester United enter race for Atletico’s Saul Niguez

Manchester United have entered the race to sign Saul Niguez from Atletico Madrid.

Manchester United have identified three primary positions and lift the level of players in those departments. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is reportedly desirous about the prospect of landing a centre-back, central midfielder, and right winger in the summer transfer window. Kalidou Koulibaly, Milan Skriniar, Jadon Sancho, and Douglas Costa are the players featuring in the shortlist.

As you can see, midfielders have rarely been linked with the Red Devils. According to ESPN FC, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has identified Atletico Madrid midfielder Saul Niguez as one of his summer targets. He signed a contract until 2026 with the club, but the report adds on that the Spanish International will be allowed to leave for a fee of around 150 million in the summer transfer window.

The English outfit board have been keeping an eye on Saul Niguez since his impressive loan spell at Rayo Vallecano in the 2013/14 campaign. Solskjaer is eyeing the likelihood of pairing Saul Niguez with Nemanja Matic and Paul Pogba in the midfield department. The current Spanish International Ander Herrera’s head is turned by Paris Saint Germain’s lucrative offer and the possibility of seeing him at Parc Des Princes is high next season.

Los Colchoneros have already lost their defender Lucas Hernandez to Bayern Munich for a fee of 80 million. The club is prepared for a busy summer ahead as the likes of Deigo Godin, Felipe Luis, Antoine Griezmann, and Rodri are likely to leave Diego Simeone’s side in the forthcoming summer.

Godin is expected to move to Inter Milan upon his contract expiry in the summer, Antoine Griezmann has offered himself to Barcelona, and Felipe Luis is out of contract after the expiry of this season. Pep Guardiola sees Rodri as a perfect replacement for the ageing Fernandinho. The midfielder’s release clause is set to be 70 million euros in the summer and the Citizens are tempted by that prospect.

City also expressed their interest on Saul because of his versatility to adapt to different roles in midfield and defence. But, the former Barcelona boss believes that Rodri would be the apt choice to replace the Brazilian as the club prepare to upgrade the squad even further.

The Red Devils need to shell out their money in the summer window in order to get their first choices. Primarily, they need to qualify for the Champions League to attract players.

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What’s next?

Following a narrow defeat to Wolves in the Premier League, the Red Devils won’t be in action until they face FC Barcelona in the Champions League Quarterfinals.