Saul Niguez has suddenly become the number one transfer target for many extremely optimistic fans of Premier League clubs after he scored an incredible solo goal in the Champions League against Bayern Munich on Wednesday night.
The Atletico star has played extremely well in a number of positions all across the midfield this season, and has been one of the driving forces behind Atleti's title challenge, so it is natural that he will be linked with the biggest clubs in Europe as Diego Simeone regularly has to deal with the departure of his best players, such is the nature of his position as manager.
However, it has emerged that Saul Niguez will be going nowhere without Barca being given the chance to match the bid, thanks to a fantastic piece of business conducted when David Villa left the club in 2013, according to Sport.es:
The Atletico Madrid midfielder, who scored a brilliant goal in the first half of his team's Champions League semi-final clash with Bayern Munich at the Vicente Calderon, could one day end up at Camp Nou.
Barcelona have the first option on the player thanks to the transfer of David Villa to Atletico in 2013. Barcelona didn't mention any names at the time, but there are two players in the squad they have an option on - one is Saul and the other is full-back Javi Manquillo.
This means that Barca spotted the talent in Saul at 18 years of age, and insisted on including the clause in the sale of David Villa, to Atletico, in 2013.
Keep in mind that Barca were getting rid of David Villa on the back of a terrible time with injuries, including an eight-month layoff, as it was clear that he would not fit into the club's long-term plans.
That means that by selling an unwanted player, they also managed to secure an option on a young midfielder who could well be one of the hottest properties in European football in the near future if he isn't already.
Well played.
[via Sport-english.com]
