City want Saul

Manchester City are interested in Saul Niguez of Atletico Madrid, according to the Mirror.

The Premier League title holders have been looking for a long-term replacement for the 34-year-old Fenrandinho for a long time now. They were linked with Fred who eventually joined their city rivals United, before reportedly losing out on Jorginho to Chelsea last summer as well.

Much has been spoken about the importance of the likes of Kevin De Bruyne and David Silva for Pep Guardiola’s team, but Bernardo Silva, Ilkay Gundogan and Riyad Mahrez have proven they are more than capable of performing in their roles. However, the short slump in form and result that allowed Liverpool to overtake City in the league table for a while coincided with the absence of Fernandinho, for whom Guardiola obviously still cannot find a worthy alternative. That is where Saul is supposed to come in.

However, City will have to break their club record if they are to get the 24-year-old who has been set as their primary summer target, after he signed a new deal with Atletico with the buyout clause set to £130 million.