Saúl … Suspense to the End

Saul stays, Saul goes. Since the summer began at Atlético, that has been the name. The one with Saúl Ñíguez (26 years old), for the first time with the possibility of real leaving the club of which he is the fourth captain, reference and youth squad. The market closes today at 00:00 and what will happen continues between Saul leaves, Saul stays. There is nothing firm. And, while at Atlético they think it continues, sources from the negotiation assure that it is closed. After midnight another thread skipped: that Atleti thinks of Sarabia as a substitute.

However, that is the feeling in these last hours in the rojiblanco club, which remains. But in football there are no days longer and in which more things can happen than the days of market closure.. Until 00:00 tonight everything is possible. Because Saúl's idea is still to leave. Yesterday morning he told the club again, that he wants to leave. On Friday he had met with his representative Joshua Barnett, the same as Bale's, with whom he signed in 2018, to see the different possibilities. Of all the destinations, of all the teams that loved him and had been pursuing his signing for years (United for example) It turns out that, in the end, when Saúl was put on the market, no firm offer reached the Wanda Metropolitano. His clause, 150 million, was too high for the current market. Atlético agreed to let him out for a more appropriate price, 50 (its market value has dropped from 90 in December 2019 to 40 now, according to transfermarkt). But neither. LLast week the transfer was proposed, with Chelsea as the only destination, but for now it is still stranded. And no time. Or not, because here it does seem that the ticking does not stop, that the suspense will last until the end.

The English team, champion of the last Champions League and with footballers like Kanté, Jorginho or Kovacic in their midfield, wants, according to The Telegraph, impose its conditions. Conditions that go through not doing anything crazy or mortgaging with a mandatory purchase clause. They offer an assignment with the payment of Saúl's salary, including a voluntary purchase option at the end of the championship.

Atlético, willing to let him go out on loan, needs, however, to have a substitute tied up, a footballer who completes the squad. And not in the center, Saúl's natural position, nor in defense, a position in which he is having minutes (200 ’) in this 2021-22 season, but up front. Because Simeone's desire remains the same since the market opened, Griezmann (Barça would have asked him, according to RAC1, in the last hours, the loan of João Félix) and the player who would look to complete his squad, if Saúl leaves, would be of that profile. Everyone has hours to resolve. With the look that everything is going to stay as it is. Or not.