Atletico Madrid have started making moves in the transfer market, but it looks as if the big question marks are over which players leave the club this summer.
Saul Niguez is one of at least three that Atletico Madrid want to ship out this summer, but it appears that his only realistic exit route is to head to the Middle East and the riches of Saudi Arabia.
According to Diario AS, Saul is demanding a salary of €20m per year from one of the interested Al Nassr and Al Ittihad in order to accept a move there.
🚨| Saul wants a salary of €20m net to go to Saudi Arabia. If Al Nassr or Al Ittihad accepts, he would become the highest-paid Spanish player at the moment. 🇪🇸
[@Manu_Sainz, @diarioas] pic.twitter.com/xa6jZnbJJg
— Atletico Universe (@atletiuniverse) July 4, 2023
Should that demand be met, and they agree a fee with Atletico Madrid, then Saul will make the jump to Saudi Arabia.
However Saul has publicly claimed that his priority is Atletico Madrid, and he has no plans to leave the club just now. Although this was now a couple of weeks ago, Saul also said that he did not have an offer on the table.
While Saul is no longer an important player for Los Colchoneros, he is at home in Madrid and swapping that comfort for both him and his family would likely take an enormous quantity of money anyway. It should also be pointed out that Saul is one of the most handsomely paid by Atletico already, and his deal runs for a further three seasons.
Read our analysis of Atletico Madrid’s transfer window here.
