MANCHESTER UNITED have been handed a boost in their pursuit of Atletico Madrid midfielder Saul Niguez.
The player’s agent has been in contact with both United and Liverpool in the event of a move to Barcelona not materialising.
According to Spanish outlet AS, it would cost around £34million to sign the highly-rated Spanish midfielder.
And both United and Liverpool have greater spending power than Barca.
Atletico will not be able to sign any players until someone goes out the door at the Wanda Metropolitano Stadium.
LaLiga will not allow the champions to register any more players due to the new salary limits.
And the star most likely to leave is Saul, freeing up a reported £115,000-per-week.
The report also states that a move to Barcelona is still very much on the cards – and that Antoine Griezmann will be sent back to Atletico in return.
Doing business with Barca seems to suit Atletico better, as they will receive one of Europe’s top attackers in return for Saul.
And a forward is high on boss Diego Simeone’s summer wishlist.
On Friday, however, according to RMC journalist Loic Tanzi, Griezmann wasn’t informed of these negotiations – further complicating the deal.
Tanzi said on Twitter: “The situation is now a little more complicated.
“The negotiations between the two clubs took place without Griezmann knowing.
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“And the salary difference is significant. Negotiations are continuing but Barcelona must find a solution.”
If the two Spanish giants fail to reach an agreement, AS believe that the Premier League could be the highly sought-after midfielders destination.
Which would allow Atletico to potentially move for Wolves’ Rafa Mir.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
