Chelsea and Liverpool are in the battle to pounce on Saul Niguez if his transfer to Barcelona fails. The English clubs offered their respective proposals to Spain international and could make their move if the midfielder does not join the Blaugrana.
The 26-year-old midfielder has suffered a stunning decline in stature at Wanda Metropolitano after years of being a mainstay in the middle of the park for Los Colchoneros.
In 2020/21, though, Saul status as a regular player ended, with the midfielder sharing playing time and having to suffice with playing games off the bench. While Niguez did play 41 matches across all tournaments, the midfielder started only 22 La Liga matches.
The Spanish midfielder’s stock has not only fallen at club level, where La Liga giants are set to cash in on Saul this transfer window but also at the international level, having lost his place in the Furia Roja side.
But, the 26-year-old midfielder is still a famous name in the transfer request, with Blaugrana, Chelsea and Liverpool tailing him. The Catalan club’s interest in Niguez is pretty recent, having failed to pursue Georginio Wijnaldum and finally being forced to scour the market for other midfielders.
However, a potential agreement for Niguez will be in the form of a part exchange, with Antoine Griezmann being touted for a come back to Wanda Metropolitano. Such an agreement will be difficult to pull off, giving rivals like Chelsea and Liverpool the chance to steal a march on the Blaugrana.
Speaking of the Reds, the Merseyside club are in the market for a replacement for Gini Wijnaldum, coincidentally linked with the Catalan club before joining PSG. To that end, Niguez is viewed as one of the options to strengthen their midfield.
However, the Reds also has to battle Blues and Blaugrana, in pursuit of Saul, with Chelsea also looking for a midfield reinforcement following Billy Gilmour’s loan move to Norwich City.
While the players like Loftus-Cheek, Ampadu, Barkley and Bakayoko are all back from their respective loan spells, each of the footballers could either be sold or loaned out one more time.
To that end, the Spaniard has appeared on the Blues transfer list, with the London club, along with Liverpool, tabling their respective bids for Niguez.
For now, Blues and Reds are in the race, waiting to pounce if the Catalan giants are unable to secure the services of the Spaniard. An intriguing transfer race is ready to ensure the services of the 26-year-old midfielder this summer.
