Saul Niguez has emerged as a priority signing by Manchester United in the summer but a transfer deal on the Atletico Madrid midfielder could be bogged down by the seller's asking price. The La Liga club has made clear Niguez can only move out for £132 million but the Red Devils are unwilling to meet the demand.
Niguez is tied up with a nine-year contract with his present team and to make sure he will not walk away anytime soon; his release clause is with the whopping price tag. But United is only willing to pay a little over the price set by Atletico, at £70 million.
According to Mirror, the possibility is there that the talks between United and Atletico will bog down no thanks to the money disagreement. The Spanish club is convinced Niguez is worth the cash being a highly-rated midfielder.
For its part, United is in agreement that buying the Spain international will not come cheap but bringing him to Old Trafford does not mean the team is willing to overspend. The United board will stick to the original offer, which the club deems a fair price.
The 25-year-old goalscorer is touted as United's immediate replacement in case the rumors prove correct that Paul Pogba will depart in the summer. From local reports in Spain, Niguez is thought to be a perfect fit for the Premier League and is seen to be nearing the peak of his potentials.
In the case that United decides to walk away from the talks on the Spaniard, he is believed to remain in Madrid with the possibility that Atletico will amend his contract and make it more inviting for him to stay.
However, Metro said Niguez commands a great deal of admiration in England. Executives at Old Trafford are believers of the midfielder's skills and are apparently convinced that acquiring the Atletico star in the summer would be the right timing for United.
Even United legend Rio Ferdinand is a big fan. The icon said: "I've been harping on about Saul Niguez for a few years now."
Ferdinand said Niguez makes things happen when deployed and "he gets his teams really well set up and he's in the middle orchestrating and dictating things."
He added that if United loses Pogba as expected, the entry will make it easier for United to make the adjustments.
"I think he's a major player. Composed, calm, great left foot, lovely conductor, he can score goals, tactically he's very aware," said the former defender.
