Atletico Madrid midfielder Saul Niguez is back on Barcelona’s radar following his impressive start to the season, claims Mundo Deportivo.
Barcelona are long-term admirers of Saul and their interest in the 23-year-old dates back to when they sold David Villa to Atletico in 2013.
The Spanish champions have twice failed in their attempts to prise Saul away from Atletico since then but reportedly have a first right of refusal option agreed with their rivals.
Saul’s current Atletico contract is not due to expire until 2026 after the Spain international penned a staggering nine-year deal in July 2017.
Saul didn’t feature in a single minute of Spain’s underwhelming 2018 World Cup campaign but has already emerged as a key player for new national team boss Luis Enrique.
The Atletico midfielder scored his first international goals for Spain during the recent international break, as Spain beat England 2-1 and World Cup finalists Croatia 6-0.
Saul has a €150m release clause but if Barcelona approach Atletico with an acceptable offer then they are reportedly obliged to present the terms to Saul, who will then decide.
Only Real Valladolid duo Nacho (15) and Toni Villa (14) have made more tackles than Saul in La Liga this season (13).
