Speaking on The Football Terrace’s latest edition of The Done Deal Show on YouTube, Pete O’Rourke has revealed that Liverpool have made enquiries regarding Saul Niguez.
Jurgen Klopp is still on the hunt for a successor to Georginio Wijnaldum, who left Anfield for Paris Saint-Germain as a free agent earlier this summer having made 237 appearances for Liverpool, winning both the Premier League and Champions League during his time there.
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Despite Atletico Madrid winning the La Liga title last season, Saul struggled to nail down a starting role consistently under Diego Simeone, with the midfielder starting just 22 times in the league, his lowest amount since the 2014/15 campaign, when he managed just nine starts.
If Saul does not leave Atletico Madrid this summer, his minutes may be even more limited next season, with his current club having just secured the signing of Rodrigo De Paul from Udinese.
O’Rourke admitted on The Football Terrace that there have been encouraging signs for Liverpool – and rivals Chelsea – in their pursuit of Saul as a result.
“They’ve had more encouraging signs from Atletico Madrid in regards to Saul Niguez. We mentioned last week that Liverpool are definitely one of the clubs interested and there have been enquiries made.
“The encouraging sign for Liverpool and Chelsea is that Atletico Madrid have announced the signing of the Argentine midfielder Rodrigo De Paul, which further increases competition for places in Diego Simeone’s side.
“I think maybe Atletico Madrid would seriously consider letting Saul leave just to bring some money into the club after paying a big fee for De Paul.”
TIF Thoughts on Saul to Liverpool…
Bringing in another Spanish international would potentially be able to get the best out of last year’s free-agent signing, Thiago – who could perhaps thrive alongside a fellow countryman.
Before last season, Saul started over 30 La Liga games for three consecutive campaigns, which shows he very rarely gets injured and is a consistent and trusted performer, much like Wijnaldum was under Klopp.
Their plans to sign Saul may have been hit by Barcelona’s attempts to swap him with Antoine Griezmann – though journalist Fabrizio Romano has recently claimed that the Reds are indeed ready to pounce if the talks fall through.