All the top European clubs will be looking up the number of Saul Niguez’s agent after the 21-year-old Spaniard produced a stellar performance at the Vicente Calderon in Atletico Madrid’s 1-0 win against Bayern Munich in the semi final of the UEFA Champions League.
However, it has emerged that Spanish giants FC Barcelona are leading the race to sign the 21 year old Spanish wonderkid.
Not only did Saul score the only goal of the match, a beautiful solo effort cutting past four Bayern defenders and curling it into the far post, but also put in a stellar shift in defence consisting of five dribbles, two tackles, and two interceptions.
With the attention of the entire footballing world converged on Saul, it is reported that FC Barcelona have the edge when it comes to signing the 21 year old.
According to a report in the Catalan news outlet Sport, the Blaugrana have a clause with Atletico Madrid that states that if the latter receive any offers for Saul, then Barcelona have the option of simply buying the player by matching that offer.
The report says that this clause was agreed upon by the two clubs when Atletico Madrid bought forward David Villa from Barcelona. The clause also includes Atletico’s 21 year old right back Javi Manquillo.
If Barcelona do not want to be dependent on other clubs bidding for Saul, then they also have an option of buying out the Spaniard for a massive sum of €60 million.
A new order emerges in Spain
Spain has a vast array of midfielders to choose from and head coach Vicente del Bosque will be spoilt for choice when he sits down to pick his squad. However, with a radical change already visible in the Spanish national team, Del Bosque might just consider calling up the young crop.
The current favourites to man the Spanish midfield are Sergio Busquets, and Andres Iniesta, followed by the likes of Cesc Fabregas, David Silva, and Santi Cazorla. However, a new crop of young players have emerged in the last couple of years, and are giving the established order a good run for their money. The likes of Saul, Koke and Thiago Alcantara all played well in the Atletico-Bayern game, and could take up the midfield roles in the Spanish national team in the foreseeable future.
