Bid Rejected: Liverpool Asked To Pay $59M For Star Who Is Also Barcelona’s Target

Atletico Madrid have reportedly rejected Liverpool FC’s opening bid for midfielder Saul Niguez in the underway summer transfer window.

Liverpool made a bid of $47 million for Niguez but Atletico turned it down as the La Liga side wants an offer close to $59 million, reported Spanish publication Mundo Deportivo.

Apart from Liverpool, the other Premier League clubs that are monitoring Niguez’s situation at Atletico Madrid are the two Manchester clubs -- City and United, along with their London rivals Chelsea, according to sports media outlet Sports Witness.

Even La Liga rivals FC Barcelona are believed to be interested in Niguez. The Catalans are planning to offer Atletico Madrid their former player Antoine Griezmann as a part of an exchange deal for Niguez, according to sports media outlet Give Me Sport. The report further revealed that Atletico Madrid are currently negotiating with both Liverpool and Barcelona.

While it is still unclear as to which club will eventually land Niguez, it is confirmed that the 26-year-old midfielder is leaving Atletico Madrid this summer. Speaking on the Here We Go Podcast, Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano, who has a credible record in the European transfer market, said, "He’s [Saul's] leaving Atletico Madrid this summer because they are signing Rodrigo De Paul."

Atletico Madrid confirmed Monday that they had signed Argentina's De Paul from Italian club Udinese on a five-year contract.

Jurgen Klopp wants to sign a quality midfielder who can fill in the void left by Gini Wijnaldum. The Dutchman left the Anfield side on a free transfer to join Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) this summer. Earlier, it was also reported that Liverpool were chasing Lillee midfielder, Renato Sanches.

Even though Niguez made 41 competitive appearances last season for Atletico Madrid, he has fallen in Diego Simmone’s pecking order. Towards the end of the 2020-21 campaign, he rarely played the full 90 minutes for Atletico in La Liga, and missed out on Luis Enrique’s squad for Euro 2020 as well. In the 41 matches he played, Niguez scored just two times and assisted one goal.

At the age of 11, Niguez kickstarted his soccer career at Real Madrid before moving to Atletico Madrid’s youth set up in 2008. He rose through the ranks at the Wanda Metropolitano side and made his first-team debut in 2012.