Man City will reportedly have to splash out a whopping €150m if they wish to prise Saul Niguez away from Atletico Madrid this summer.
The 24-year-old has had a decent season thus far, scoring five goals and providing three assists in 36 appearances from midfield.
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Niguez has undoubtedly established himself as a key figure in Diego Simeone’s side, but speculation remains rife over his future.
Nevertheless, as reported by AS, it’s claimed that while Man City have been linked with a swoop for him this summer, the La Liga giants aren’t going to budge from demanding his €150m release clause be met.
It’s added in that report that City had been willing to pay €100m for the Spanish international, but that seemingly won’t be enough to satisfy the demands of Atleti.
The focus for the reigning Premier League champions will be on completing a historic quadruple this season, as having already secured the League Cup, they remain in the hunt for the FA Cup, Premier League and Champions League.
That would suggest that they have more than enough quality and depth across the squad to compete on multiple fronts, but there are key areas in which they can arguably improve for the long term.
As noted by Goal.com, there are concerns over Ilkay Gundogan’s future at the Etihad after contract talks broke down, while Fernandinho turns 34 in May with David Silva reaching the same age early next year.
In turn, that would suggest that the midfield could perhaps be a priority for Man City this summer, and Niguez could be a solution.
However, it has to be questioned as to whether they are realistically going to even consider spending that much on one player if Atleti aren’t interested in lowering their demands.
