July 13, (THEWILL) – A summer transfer move for Atletico Madrid’s midfielder Saul Niguez by former English Premier League champions Liverpool has been rejected by Atletico.
The recently crowned La Liga winners doused the enthusiasm of Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp in his desire to bring the midfielder to Anfield with their initial £35 million bid.
Niguez is considered as a favourable replacement for the position vacated by Dutchman Georginio Wijnaldum, who moved from England to France early this summer to join former Ligue 1 champions, Paris Saint-Germain, in a move PSG hijacked from Barcelona.
However, Los Rojiblancos value the 26-year-old higher than what Liverpool offered and that was the essence of the outright rejection of the Liverpool bid, in the first place.
Klopp’s desire for a Wijnaldum replacement will come at a higher price if they still have their eyes on Niguez.
The negotiations have continued despite the rejected bid. The Anfield club understands that part of the process will be to get a commitment from the Atletico Academy graduate and then, they can always renegotiate a mutually agreed fee, possibly in the region of £45 million, for the player.
That could sway the La Liga side to allow Niguez leave to the English Premiership, all things being equal. The only other possible hurdle that may unbalance the circumstances is a La Liga interest in the 26-year-old Spaniard. And it comes from Atletico’s domestic rival Barcelona.
The Catalan side has had its eyes on Niguez and have been chasing a move for the midfielder for quite some time without success. The player’s desire to depart the Madrid club this summer presents the most opportune time to bring him to Camp Nou.
However, their difficult financial constraints have forced them to opt for a swap deal which would bring Saul to Camp Nou in exchange for former Atletico striker and favourite Antoine Griezmann, a win-win for both sides. Except that Barca are keen not to repeat the Luis Suarez mistake and let go of a player that strengthens a direct opponent.
As such, the management of the Catalan side want Griezmann, who they intend to get off their books, to move away from Spain and Chelsea has been mentioned at different times as a likely destination to fill in their own striking deficiency.
That may be the chance that Klopp exploits by upping their offer and attracting Niguez before Barca can settle on what sort of swap deal they can offer and, as it happened with the Wijnaldum case, lose out again on another target.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
