Chelsea eyeing late bid for Atletico Madrid’s Saul Niguez while waiting on Monaco youngster Tchouameni
Chelsea are one of several Premier League clubs who have been offered the chance to sign Atletico Madrid’s Saul Niguez, though the Blues are waiting to see if another midfielder becomes available.
The west Londoners are blessed with a trio of fantastic midfielders in N’Golo Kante, Jorginho and Mateo Kovacic – the first two have both been nominated for UEFA’s Player of the Year – but Thomas Tuchel is keen to add more strength in depth behind them.
Chelsea have been linked with former academy player Declan Rice in the past, with axed boss Frank Lampard a big fan, though will not be able to match West Ham’s £100million asking price.
That has seen them explore other options and, according to The Telegraph, they could make a late move for Atletico star Saul in the final days of the transfer window.
Despite winning La Liga last season, the 26-year-old is believed to be keen to leave the Spanish capital and wants to test himself in another league.
Atletico have been offering Saul to Premier League clubs as they look to bolster their own transfer kitty and his representatives are believed to have held talks with Manchester United and Liverpool earlier in the window.
Saul has become a possibility for Chelsea, though the club will bide their time and are also keeping tabs on young Monaco midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni.
The 21-year-old, who has also been tracked by Manchester United, could be available for a bargain fee if Monaco fail to qualify for the group stages of the Champions League, having lost the first leg of their qualifier against Shakhtar Donetsk.
That tie could determine the future of Tchouameni, with Monaco potentially forced to cash in, so Chelsea are prepared to wait until after the second leg has been played on August 25 before deciding on whether or not to pursue a new midfielder.
In defence, meanwhile, Tuchel has decided to keep Trevoh Chalobah as part of his first-team squad for this coming season though Chelsea could still launch a final bid for Jules Kounde if they manage to offload another centre-back, likely Kurt Zouma.
