Reports in England claim Manchester United are set beat Guardiola’s Manchester City to Atletico Madrid’s star Saul Niguez.

According to ESPN FC, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side see Saul as a good fit to partner Nemanja Matic and Paul Pogba in midfield.

United scouts, the reports add, have been closely monitoring the development of Saul since his impressive loan spell at Rayo Vallecano in the 2013-14 campaign.

Old Trafford officials are aware about the difficulty of the negotiations with Atletico set to demand Saul’s full €150 million release clause, part of a deal the 24-year-old midfielder signed in 2017 which commits him to Atletico until 2026.

Los Colchoneros have already sold defender Lucas Hernandez to Bayern Munich for €80m and are preparing for a busy summer transfer window with Diego Godin, Filipe Luis, Antoine Griezmann and Rodri facing uncertain futures at the club.

City have also considered the signing of Saul as officials at the Etihad Stadium value his versatility to adapt to different roles in midfield and defence.

Guardiola is said to believe Rodri would be more suited for the position as the 22-year-old is the real holding midfielder at Atletico Madrid with Saul playing in a more advanced role and even as a full-back and a centre-back.

Although Atletico want to keep Rodri they will be unable to stop City triggering his €70m release clause, which the Premier League side view as affordable for a player his age.

Image: football365.com