Manchester United have reportedly entered the race to sign Saul Niguez and will battle Manchester City in the summer pursuit of the Atletico Madrid midfielder.
ESPN have claimed that Manchester United have also entered the race for Saul Niguez. The Spanish international was reportedly set to join Manchester City in the summer. But, it seems the Citizens will have to toil with their local rivals in the summer to land the Atletico Madrid superstar.
It was ESPN’s report itself from a few days ago, that claimed that Manchester City were pursuing Saul Niguez seriously and were looking set to land the Atletico Madrid midfielder. But, the new report states that Manchester United will try to play spoilsport, with the club of the opinion that Saul will be a good partner to Nemanja Matic and Paul Pogba as part of the midfield trio.
The report comes shortly after the latest update on Ander Herrera’s contract situation. The Spaniard is currently the third regular starter in midfield under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, but could be on his way out amid differences in terms being offered and terms demanded while PSG are prepared to match Herrera’s demands.
Should Herrera leave, Manchester United would need a partner for Nemanja Matic and Paul Pogba. But, Saul Niguez could solve every potential problem. While he would fit well into the three-midfielder system, the 24-year-old could also come in handy on either side of the midfield, should Solskjaer decide to play the 4-4-2 diamond system, something he has opted for quite a number of times thus far.
Saul could also solve the dearth of creativity in the middle of the park and his ability to play the deep role could see him be the perfect swap for Nemanja Matic as well, with the Serb not really shining on the field, of late.
At Manchester City, the Atletico Madrid man could be the ideal replacement for David Silva and do shifts to cover Fernandinho’s role as well, depending on where Pep Guardiola wants the 24-year-old to play.
Saul Niguez has an interesting story. He was, at one point of time, part of Real Madrid before ultimately finding his way to local rivals Atletico Madrid. Since his senior debut for Los Rojiblancos, Saul has become a permanent name on the team sheet. The 24-year-old’s ability to do the outrageous from range while also setting up teammates has caught everyone’s attention from time to time.
The 2018-19 campaign has not exactly gone to plan for Saul, though. A mild return of 4 goals and an assist in the league is far from what is expected of the Spanish international, especially with goals drying up for Atletico Madrid in the early part of their La Liga campaign.
The report states that Manchester United officials are aware of the fact that Atletico Madrid will ask any suitor(s) to pay the entirety of the €150 million release clause to land Saul Niguez. Also a permanent fixture for La Roja, it might just be time for Manchester United and Manchester City to pay up if they wish to sign the 24-year-old.
