Getting Saul Niguez to Old Trafford in the summer is a serious business for Manchester United had sent scouts to report on the young midfielder. The 25-year-old was part of the Atletico Madrid squad that won over Liverpool at the Anfield in March, and that game won him the heart of the Red Devils.
Niguez is targeted by United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer to play alongside Bruno Fernandes so the Norwegian reportedly dispatched spies to see the Spaniard play. It appeared that the review submitted to United's HQ favored the hiring of the defender.
Upon receiving the report on the Atletico star, United "made it clear they want to be kept up with developments on his future plans," The Sun reported.
Niguez's future is certainly tied up with Atletico. He still has six years to go with the La Liga club and to ensure that he will not be leaving anytime soon, his contract comes with an expensive release clause valued at £132 million.
Now while Solskjaer is apparently convinced that the midfielder will be an asset, he is operating on a price ceiling for the Spaniard. The report said United could only pay £70 million from the fee demanded by Atletico.
It would seem that if Niguez's club asked for more, Solskjaer is ready to walk away.
However, if Niguez should elect to make the switch and play for United next season, he is assured of pocketing a bigger pay. With Atletico, the weekly wage by the player is set at £115,000, which will be bumped up to £200,000 wearing the Red Devils shirt.
Moving for Niguez would be advisable for United, according to the club's former star Rio Ferdinand. He called on the United board to push through with the plan as the Spaniard will prove a huge addition to the club.
When he heard of reports that the Spain international is linked to a possible move to Manchester, Ferdinand thought that completing the deal is wait and for now because his former team is always linked to everyone.
The United hero said having Niguez on the roster will be quite a boost for United, stressing that "Saul Niguez is huge."
"He's another one, what a player. I've been harping on about Saul Niguez for a few years now ... I think he's a major player. Composed, calm, great left foot, lovely conductor, he can score goals, tactically he's very aware," Metro reported Ferdinand as saying.
"He gets his teams really well set up and he's in the middle orchestrating and dictating things," the United legend said in explaining his admiration of the midfielder.
