Chelsea have decided against triggering the €35m option to buy they included in the loan deal to sign Saul Niguez from Atletico Madrid according to Fabrizio Romano. The Spaniard will now return to the Wanda Metropolitano before deciding his plans for next season.
The 27-year-old joined Chelsea last summer for a season-long loan to restart his stalled career. But it did not work out quite like that – Saul ended up featuring for 1,409 minutes in 26 games across all competitions at Stamford Bridge, contributing a goal and an assist.
Whether Saul decides to knuckle down and try to win a place in Diego Simeone’s starting lineup at the Wanda Metropolitano or departs for pastures new is uncertain. He has played 340 games for Atletico’s first team to date, contributing 43 goals and 20 assists.
Atletico will certainly be looking for an injection of fresh impetus this close-season. They went into the 2021/22 campaign as defending La Liga champions but ended up finishing the season in third, 15 points behind runaway champions and city rivals Real Madrid.
Chelsea have confirmed to Atletico Madrid few weeks ago that they won't trigger the buy option clause worth €35m for Saúl Ñíguez. 🔵 #CFC
Saúl will return to Atléti and he will decide his future soon after many proposals received last summer.
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) June 8, 2022
