Manchester United are reportedly ahead of Chelsea in the running to seal the transfer of Atletico Madrid midfielder Saul as a deal is described as being “very close” by Spanish outlet AS.
The Red Devils are supposedly in the strongest position to win the race for the signing of Saul, who could undoubtedly be a useful addition to give Ole Gunnar Solskjaer an upgrade on unconvincing performers such as Nemanja Matic and Fred.
Despite not being as much of a regular for Atletico in recent times, Saul has had a great career in the Spanish capital and could surely contribute a great deal to other top clubs around Europe.
Chelsea had also been linked strongly with Saul by the Telegraph, but it now looks like a more to Old Trafford is more likely for the Spain international.
The Blues are pretty well stocked in the middle of the park due to the presence of big names like N’Golo Kante, Jorginho and Mateo Kovacic, though the Telegraph note that they’re looking to offload players in that position too.
They state that Ross Barkley, Danny Drinkwater and Tiemoue Bakayoko should be on the way out, while Ruben Loftus-Cheek’s future is uncertain.
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United fans will be pleased if they can get a deal done for Saul, though it also seems slightly puzzling given the lack of playing time afforded to Donny van de Beek since his move from Ajax last summer.
Solskjaer may simply not fancy Van de Beek, and it could be that Saul has been identified as being a better fit to provide the team with a bit more quality on the ball from a deep-lying midfield role.