Barcelona favorites to sign out-of-favor midfielder - Reports

Barcelona's search for a physical midfielder continues after Paris Saint-Germain snatched Georgino Wijnaldum from their grasp earlier this summer. The Catalans have been heavily linked with a swoop for Atletico Madrid powerhouse Saul Niguez for weeks, but no move has materialized.

According to the latest reports, the Blaugrana are still leading the race to sign the Spanish midfielder. It has been claimed that Barcelona haven't given up on luring Saul to Camp Nou and they believe an agreement is possible in the next few weeks.

Barcelona continue to be the best positioned club to sign Saúl Ñíguez from Atlético Madrid. This operation is independent of a hypothetical sale of Griezmann to Atleti. [as] pic.twitter.com/IoXjCWAVYX

— barcacentre (@barcacentre) August 2, 2021

There have been a couple of contrasting stories on the Catalans' interest in Saul. It was initially claimed the club was planning a swap deal with Atletico Madrid that would see Antoine Griezmann return.

However, the two clubs were unable to reach a landing spot in negotiations and the deal initially fell through. Griezmann is looking more likely to remain at Camp Nou for the upcoming season, with his gargatuan wage demands proving to be an obstacle in Barca's path to offload him.

Saúl Ñíguez has the profile that Ronald Koeman wants for the team, and Griezmann would be willing to lower his salary in order to return to Atlético Madrid. [goal] pic.twitter.com/oI9b0kMu0U

— barcacentre (@barcacentre) July 10, 2021

Meanwhile, Saul's future remains up in the air with speculation linking him with a summer departure. In addition to Barcelona, the midfielder is reportedly a target for multiple clubs, especially in the Premier League.

The midfielder continues to be linked with a Barcelona switch

Barcelona trying to satisfy Koeman's request

Saul Niguez isn't the typical technical type of midfielder Barcelona are known to sign. Apparently, the Blaugrana are only dancing to the melody that's being played by their manager.

It's an open secret that Ronald Koeman desperately wants to bring a physical midfielder to the Nou Camp, leading to the interest in Georgino Wijnaldum. However, Barcelona couldn't meet the player's demands and consequently lost the battle for his services to PSG.

The hard part is that Barca don't currently have the money to splash out on any signings. The Blaugrana are still looking to offload players to lighten their wage bill before August 13. For any deal to be possible, it would likely need to involve the exchange of players.