Manchester United lead race to sign La Liga star - Reports

Manchester United are reportedly in pole position to sign Atletico Madrid midfielder Saul Niguez. But the Red Devils could face stiff competition for the Spaniard's signature from arch-rivals Chelsea.

According to Spanish outlet AS, Manchester United are 'very close' to completing a move for the 26-year-old. Chelsea have also joined the race to sign Saul, but it is United who have the upper hand.

Manchester United have managed to improve their attack and defense this summer by adding Jadon Sancho and Raphael Varane to their squad. Their midfielder, however, continues to be a source of concern for manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

The Premier League giants have been linked with a move for Wolverhampton Wanderers midfielder Ruben Neves, French sensation Eduardo Camavinga and Atletico Madrid's Saul Niguez in recent weeks.

Chelsea, on the other hand, have a wealth of top-quality midfield options at their disposal. The Blues are, however, eager to part ways with Ross Barkley, Danny Drinkwater and Ruben Loftus-Cheek before the end of the transfer window on August 31.

Thomas Tuchel is therefore keen to sign a midfielder to improve his squad's depth. However, Chelsea are reportedly focusing their efforts on completing a move for Sevilla defender Jules Kounde in the coming days, opening the door for Manchester United to sign Saul Niguez.

Manchester United’s midfielder target list in order:1️⃣ Eduardo Camavinga2️⃣ Saúl Ñíguez 3️⃣ Rúben Neves(Source: @FabrizioRomano) pic.twitter.com/QPmHOENnkn

— Transfer News Live (@DeadlineDayLive) August 24, 2021

Manchester United and Chelsea will need to sell some fringe players before attempting to sign Saul Niguez

Real Valladolid CF v Atletico de Madrid - La Liga Santander

Manchester United will need to move on the likes of Jesse Lingard and Donny van de Beek before they can pursue a deal for Atletico Madrid's Saul Niguez. Lingard and van de Beek do not feature in Solskjaer's plans, and have been heavily linked with a move away from Old Trafford in recent weeks.

Chelsea, as mentioned before, have an abundance of players at the club and will need to trim their squad before they can make a move for Saul.

Saúl Ñíguez | Source tells @UllalIBT that transfer is 'a possibility' – Not as advanced as suggested, but certainly not dismissed.https://t.co/g3kRJswosa #mufc

— Sport Witness (@Sport_Witness) August 24, 2021

The Spaniard may prefer a move to Old Trafford as he will likely be a guaranteed starter alongside Paul Pogba. At Chelsea, he could find it difficult to displace Jorginho, Mateo Kovacic and N'Golo Kante from the starting lineup.

Saul is pushing for a move away from Atletico after reportedly falling out with manager Diego Simeone. The Spaniard has made close to 350 appearances for the club in all competitions, scoring 43 goals and providing 20 assists.