Manchester United have reportedly had a £15m bid rejected for Atletico Madrid midfielder Saul Niguez.
Respected Spanish journalist Guillem Balague confirmed the rumour on his Twitter account on Monday.
Balague claims that United have bid €20m for the Spaniard, but Atletico are not currently willing to sell despite the 21-year-old not being a regular under Diego Simeone at the Vicente Calderon.
The truth is that there has been an approach. United offers €20m but Atletico not selling ATM https://t.co/anOfjFWPFn
— Guillem Balague (@GuillemBalague) January 11, 2016
The Red Devils hold a long-term interest in Saul, with The Express reporting that he was on their radar in February 2015, and competition for his signature may have prompted this New Year swoop.
According to the Daily Star, Premier League rivals Arsenal and Liverpool are also keen on Spain U21 international, although it seems to be United who are pushing for a deal in the January window.
Saul has netted five goals in 18 appearances for Madrid this season but is known more for his creative abilities, which Louis van Gaal’s United are badly missing from their pedestrian midfield.
United needed an stoppage-time penalty to edge past Sheffield United in the third round of the FA Cup on Saturday, having managed only two shots on target against their League One opponents.
It seems that Van Gaal is aiming to address that lack of cutting edge this month, but it might prove difficult to wrestle Saul away from Atletico, where he signed a new contract only last year.
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