Fabrizio Romano has now given his famed ‘here we go’ tag to the transfer of Saul Niguez from Atletico Madrid to Chelsea, as the Blues have managed to finally strike a deal for the star on Deadline Day.
The transfer insider reports that personal terms have been agreed over a loan switch for the world-class midfielder to Chelsea, with the Blues to pay a €5m loan fee to Atletico for their homegrown star.
Saul has been a key player for Diego Simeone’s side after breaking into the side as a youngster, making 340 appearances for the first-team since his debut in March 2012.
The 26-year-old has been linked with an exit for the majority of the transfer window and Atleti fans will now be left heartbroken as their favourite is on the brink of an exit to another big club.
Saul experienced a slightly smaller role than usual for Atleti last season, though he still started in 30 of his 41 appearances across all competition.
Saúl to Chelsea, HERE WE GO! Agreement reached for €5m loan from Atletico Madrid. Personal terms agreed. Saúl will be in London soon to sign the contract. ?? #CFC #DeadlineDay
Final details and the deal will be announced. Difficult deal but finally set to be completed. pic.twitter.com/3Jq5e3JwXE
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) August 31, 2021
The versatile midfielder played the entire 90 minutes of Los Rojiblancos’ first two matches of the season before he was left to a 20-minute substitute outing against Villarreal last time out.
Saul is a proven option for Thomas Tuchel to call on in the Chelsea midfield, as the Spain international has shown his quality for years in La Liga and the Champions League.
Tuchel will now have a welcome selection headache on his hands as two of Jorginho, N’Golo Kante and Mateo Kovacic are his usual starters in midfield, though Saul has the versatility to contribute elsewhere.
Saul has been utilised as a box-to-box midfielder, defensive midfielder and even left-sided midfielder during his time at Atleti, he’s even played at left wing-back before – which may be his best path towards becoming a starter for Chelsea.