Chelsea unhappy over Atletico Madrid demand in Saul Niguez deal, move could collapse
Atletico Madrid are reportedly demanding a compulsory £34million purchase clause from Chelsea as part of their deal to sign Saul Niguez.
Thomas Tuchel’s men have held talks with Atletico over the possibility of signing the Spain international before Tuesday’s transfer deadline. Manchester United are also keen on the 26-year-old, but it appears that the Blues are favourites for his signature.
Goal reports that Chelsea are aiming to secure an initial loan deal for Saul. However, they are not keen on agreeing to Atletico’s request to make the deal a permanent one for £34m at the end of the campaign.
In fact, the Blues want a similar deal to the one they did with Real Madrid for Mateo Kovacic. Chelsea signed the midfielder on loan before they decided themselves to strike a permanent £40m deal.
The report states that Atletico are also refusing to let Saul leave unless a replacement is signed before the deadline.
When asked about Saul’s situation after Atletico’s 2-2 LaLiga draw with Villarreal on Sunday, Simeone replied: “He knows my view already.
“We talked and I told him what I think and feel. There’s not much else.
“Between now and Tuesday we’ll see. We are open in the knowledge that anything can happen in football.”
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Chelsea star heads back to Italy
Meanwhile, Chelsea midfielder Tiemoue Bakayoko will spend the next two seasons on loan in Italy after heading back to AC Milan.
The defensive midfielder returns to the San Siro for a second spell with Milan until 2023, having previously played with them during the 2018-19 campaign. He certainly knows the league well, having also turned out for Napoli last term.
Bakayoko will join former Blues team-mates Fikayo Tomori and Olivier Giroud in Milan, with both joining the Rossoneri permanently this summer. He will also compete in the Champions League after Stefano Pioli’s side finished in second place last season. Milan will face Liverpool in the group stages.
During his previous Milan spell, Bakayoko was a regular in Gennaro Gattuso’s side as they reached the Coppa Italia semis. He also reached the last four of the competition under the same boss with Napoli last season.
The Frenchman joined Chelsea in the summer of 2017 and made 43 appearances for the Blues that season. He also played the full game as the Blues beat Manchester United in the FA Cup final at Wembley.
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