According to Spanish media outlet AS, Barcelona are looking to raid Atletico Madrid for their midfield maestro Saul Niguez next summer. As per reports, the Blaugrana are willing to pay around £100m to secure the services of the Spaniard in order to stabilise their midfield for the future.
The reigning La Liga champions have continued their dominance in the domestic competition this season as well. However, the performance of their midfielders has been far from satisfactory, with the likes of Ivan Rakitic and Arturo Vidal looking well past their prime.
Ernesto Valverde has a number of good players in his lineup, but this season no one apart from Sergio Busquets and Arthur have stepped up to their responsibilities. This has made things problematic for the Blaugrana with their occasional absence due to injury concerns. The entire scenario has forced the Spanish gaffer to look for new options, and Saul has reportedly been a top priority target for him.
The 24-year-old midfield maverick had been tracked by the Catalan giants in the past as well, and he was reportedly close to joining the La Liga champions in 2017. But at the time, he decided to stay back with Los Rojiblancos. However, this time Barcelona look even more determined to land the Spaniard, and they are also willing to splash the cash to do so.
Saul is one of the finest players in midfield for Atletico and has made 20 appearances so far for them in La Liga. Though he has continuously been bogged down by injury concerns, Saul has been influential for them in midfield with three goals and as many assists in all competitions this season.
Barcelona undoubtedly have some of the finest midfielders in their squad but most of the players have failed to step up this season. The likes of Rakitic and Vidal have given away possession very cheaply to the opposition players and have also not been able to make an impact while going into challenges and backtracking, making things difficult for the reigning La Liga champions.
While the recent acquisition of a top class midfielder like Frenkie De Jong looks to be a step towards the future for the Blaugrana for sure, the signing of a player like Saul will go even further in providing their squad with the much-needed stability in the heart of the midfield. The combination of the two young aces would be a delightful sight to cherish for the Barcelona fans in the future. The Catalan giants should do everything possible in their power to land the Atletico Madrid ace next summer.
