Saul Niguez: Manchester United ahead of Chelsea as Atletico Madrid agree loan deal

Reports in Spain and England suggest that Manchester United are frontrunners ahead of Chelsea in the race to sign midfielder Saul Niguez on a loan deal from Atletico Madrid.

United have had Saul on their radar for some time, but, according to the Daily Mail, Chelsea have made significant progress in discussions with Atletico over the past 24 hours after making a late move for him.

However, it is United who remain in pole position to sign Saul according to AS, who are reporting that the midfielder is now ‘very close’ to sealing a move away from Atletico.

The report claims United have agreed a loan deal which would see them pay a fee up front and the entirety of Saul’s wages.

It is not yet clear if an obligation-to-buy clause has been included in the deal, though AS suggested one could be involved, having claimed Saul is set to leave Atletico ‘for good’ and that his ‘future is in the Premier League’.

Saul, who is valued at around £38million by Atletico, has started both of their matches so far this season despite being made available to clubs around Europe at the start of the summer window.

United have been monitoring his situation all summer and appear to be closing in on their man, with Chelsea needing to trim down their squad before they can push ahead with a deal for him.